The Motion of Puppets

“Had you not been born,you would not know what it is like to be alive, and without life,death is impossible to understand.”

I admit I hadn't heard of Kevin Donohue before I came across this book.I didn't know he is an author of Horror books primarily.What appealed to me was the cover and the fact that I find puppets fascinating in a deliciously creepy way.I don't keep any at home,but I would read a story about them anytime.This is a haunting book,beautiful and sad.Terrifying,for some, but in a subdued,elegant manner.I'd say it is a version of Gaiman's “Coraline” for grown-ups.

The setting is contemporary Québec and our protagonists are Theo and Kay,a young artistic couple,closely bound to each other.Theo is a university professor and Kay is an acrobat in a travelling Cirque.One night,Kay simply vanishes and Theo,shuttered and terrified,begins a search for her that brings him to a world he'd never imagined possible.I cannot tell you more about the plot,because there are too many spoilers,but I can assure you that it is full of elements of magical realism,a genre that continues to fascinate me.

Theo and Kay are very sympathetic.Their relationship is tender and honest and it breaks your heart when they are separated in such a sudden way.I'd say,though,that the real stars of the book are the puppets.They are a spectacle of a cast,indeed.The Queen, the Clown,the Three Sisters,Noe and,of course, the Devil,my favourite.Along with the main narrative,we are shown snippets of the life of Eadeard Muybridge,an English photographer whose biography Theo is translating in the course of the story.

The word “Motion” isn't in the title accidentally.There are references to the early stages of motion picture and references to Aristotle's “On the Motion of Animals”.However,the strongest echoes in the story come from the beautiful Ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.Now,this carries certain connotations of love,loss,despair and the struggle against forces that surpass the human world in order to have a second chance with the person you love.And allow me to say that the world Kay finds herself into is worse than Hades' realm...

The writing is beautiful,both the dialogues and the descriptive parts, Donahue manages to create puppets with personalities and character development,human-like indeed.I loved the description of Theo's agony,without resorting to drama, I loved Kay's determination and ability to adapt into her new life.The descriptions of the days approaching Halloween and the decorated nightly streets of the Old Town were just chilling.Would I consider it a Horror story? It doesn't matter. “Horror” doesn't mean the same to everyone.To me,the creepy puppets are frightening,but the real “horror” of the book is the unjust ordeal the young couple has to go through.It is magical realism,a great effort to create a dark story,with beauty and sensitivity.I loved the fact that some threads were left loose.After all, I need to think from time to time and we are readers, we can make do with some open-ended questions:)

The end is....I don't know how to describe it...it left me staring into space,utterly speechless....Don't try to understand whether the story makes sense, it doesn't.It is a fairy-tale for adults, a myth of love and darkness.A nightmare where awakening isn't guaranteed.If you want a Horror novel,full of blood and guts and zombies,this isn't for you.If you're in a mood for some dark magic and a wonderful story about a deep love and a haunting parable,then you should give this book a chance.