Joanne Harris sets the tone for this London-based fantasy right from the first words of the fairy-tale prologue: “Long ago and far away …” It details the love and marriage of the Moth King, who is secretive, jealous and nocturnal, to the Butterfly Queen, who is sunny and merry. It flows through to the collapse of their love after the birth of their son.
The Spider Mage, caring for King, Queen and Prince, spins a web between the Nine Worlds trying to find a way to reunite the pair, but an accident occurs and the Prince disappears. With their royals withdrawn into themselves, an all-out war begins between the moths and butterflies that can only be resolved by the return of the Prince, and a dark moth and a frivolous butterfly, night and day, falling in love once more.
Humans are gloriously unaware of the magic world rotating within and around them. Lonely Tom Argent, an adopted and orphaned Londoner, working in a dusty camera shop and enjoying his world through a camera lens, has ordinary concerns: “He worried about paying the rent, and about making art in a world in which artists are paid with exposure. He was no blinder than most.” But when he meets the beautiful, ethereal Vanessa, he is seduced; his mission, which he clings to despite opposition, is now to find her, in a world he doesn’t understand.
Photography might be his passion, but also part of his blindness. And blindness permutes this world in many forms. Who is the shadowy figure in the negatives of his photos? Why does the Moonlight Market stir memories he can’t quite grasp? Why are there daylight names and hidden, unknown names? And why is he being warned to stay away from Vanessa?
New York Times-bestselling author Harris has written more than 20 books in a range of genres, from gothic horror to magic realism, short stories and thrillers. Chocolat, the story of a mysterious chocolatier, published in 1999, won multiple awards, sold more than a million copies, and was adapted into a film nominated for eight Baftas and five Oscars.
Her work creates evocative worlds, whether contemporary, historical or whimsical fantasy. The Moonlight Market has a gentle, omniscient feel; there’s no Angela Carter-esque visceral action. An olde-worlde love of London, like the Harry Potter series’ devotion to Edinburgh, shows in the delicate prose: “A row of flowering cherry trees seemed to float in the pale street light, and there was a scent of summertime …” Later on, the story muses on beauty: “[It] is not a size or a shape, an outfit or a colour. Real beauty is something that shines …”
Love is what will bring the moths and the butterflies back to harmony. Clear lines are drawn between good and evil, as in so many fairy tales. The classic lonely character, adrift on their own mission, fighting for right, is present in Tom Argent. At his side is his often-forgotten companion, Charissa, who tells it straight.
Fairytale fiction is often pigeonholed into Young Adult, even if it has the complexity of adult work. Luckily, this book hasn’t been given that fate, despite being unconcerned with messy adult domestic relationships and realism. Could this be because Harris has circumvented the norm, and Tom Argent, as hero, is neither female nor teenage?
The Moonlight Market, with its complex and imaginative plot, disappearing memories, and world of magic, will be equally satisfying for adults and older teens, especially those who love a fantastical adventure. It has the pure-hearted goal of uniting two warring factions and putting the world right through the power of love.
The Moonlight Market by by Joanne Harris (Gollancz, $37.99) is out now.
