Extraordinarily Beautiful & Flawed: "Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman

According to Alain de Botton, "There’s a whole category of people who miss out by not allowing themselves to be weird enough." I couldn't agree more, and many times I find myself gravitating toward the quirky, weird people because they're so much more interesting.  We are lucky to live in a day when weird is embraced a lot more. However, there was a time in history when those who were weird or different were thought to be cursed and a reason to exploit, mock and make a few bucks while in the process.  This week's book, "Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman, was one that showcased the twisted oddities of this time in history and was a creepy, fascinating and oddly inspiring read.

First, I will admit that this book was well out of my comfort zone at times, but I was fascinated by the author's writing style.  When I found the book at Goodwill in Helena, MT, I kept going back to it on the shelf and thought this story sounds ultra creepy, but also ultra interesting.  I sent a screen shot to my sister (super cool librarian chick) and got her opinion on it before I purchased it.  Needless to say, we both agreed that this book was coming to the cozy book nook.  Interestingly enough, she is reading the book this week and loves it.

The title is self-explanatory of the setting for the book.  The Museum of Extraordinary Things is a multi-faceted "freak show" on Coney Island, New York during 1911. It is owned and operated by Professor Sardie and his daughter, Coralie, is the resident mermaid.  The story is primarily told from Coralie's perspective, but the author really does an incredible job at weaving in the stories and oddities of each of the characters of the book while connecting them to Coralie's life as the daughter of the Professor and member of the cast.  Each character is deeply flawed, not by choice, and they know it, but also know they need to be employed by the Museum to survive.  The Museum is a popular place and Coralie becomes the center of attractions for her superhuman abilities to breathe under water for long periods of time and her naturally-webbed hands. She too is caught in a place of ethical dilemma, personal pride, but also a need for survival while facing struggles with the demands set by her father. 

Probably the most beautiful connection in this book was that made to Charlotte Brontë's book, "Jane Eyre." Many of you already know this, but "Jane Eyre" is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite classic novel. I read it as a teenager and it spoke to me on numerous levels.  I've read it multiple times since then and have always felt such a connection to Jane and her independence, in spite of her circumstances. However, in "Museum of Extraordinary Things," the author shares a perspective that I never, ever considered. She shares the perspective of what it must have been like to be Mr. Rochester's exiled wife.  Woah. That alone might stop a few of you in your tracks if you've read the book. Bertha Rochester is incredibly crazy and she ends up committing suicide by jumping out the window after she's set the manor on fire. It's tragic because Mr. Rochester is blind, but Charlotte Brontë focuses on him, not Bertha.  But, did you ever think that perhaps Bertha did what she did because she felt like there was no other choice because she was different?

In the book, the author introduces us to a character called the "Wolf Man." He has hair all over his body and, at times in his life, has felt like killing himself would be a better option because he is so ridiculed. The Wolf Man and Coralie become good friends and she sees that there is so much more to this man behind the "fur." He shares with her why he relates to Bertha Rochester because she was the person who was exiled because she was crazy and different and the isolation made her worse.  He shares that because of the Professor he was able to come out of his personal exile and make something of a life for himself.  Eventually he gains the confidence he needs to find a better situation for himself, but in the meantime, the interaction he has with Coralie is a very important piece in the story.  I was so touched by this sub-plot and I think it's what kept me reading the book in spite of the creepy, disturbing stuff.  It was powerful for me personally because I knew exactly how Bertha was portrayed in "Jane Eyre" and could connect those lines far more than someone who had not read the book.  Pure. Genius.

One of the oddities of the book itself is an excessive use of italics.  My sister and I have a theory that the author uses this to indicate the thinking of the person that is speaking. The use of italics serves as a way for the reader to differentiate between Coralie's voice and point of view to that of the museum cast members.  It took me a bit to adjust my brain to reading pages and pages of italics (similar to last week's book with no quotation marks), but I eventually caught on and my brain got used to it.  Don't give up on it. 

When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would read different genres to test my own reading capacity, but that I would also be completely honest and transparent about things in the books I read that were potentially unacceptable or uncomfortable for some of my reading friends. So, I will share with you that this book had one element that really rocked my boat and I had to skip some sections because of my personal book boundaries.  There is some forced voyeurism by the Professor for Coralie to appear in her mermaid tank in the nude.  It was disturbing to be sure, but it was the point of the book that triggered some questions about the remaining story line and that proved to support my theories. If you are sensitive to this type of activity in your reading, I would not recommend you read this book.  I will also share that it's only discussed in approximately one and a half chapters. 

Ultimately, this book ended in such a way that I felt resolve. I wouldn't go straight to happy-ending-mode, but it closed up in a well thought out manner by the author.  She gave lots of time from the climax of the book to the end to tie up the loose ends and I appreciated that very much. 

My recommended reading group would be age 18 and above.  It's a Rated R read for the reasons I listed above as well as some violent behaviors shown towards characters in the book.

The moral of the story: Being extraordinary and flawed doesn't mean we aren't beautiful. It is quite the opposite.  We are beautiful because we are extraordinary and flawed.  Never lose sight of your purpose on earth. We ALL have one.

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!



Other Books by Alice Hoffman