The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a beautiful portal fantasy novel wherein our heroine learns the world contains far more magic than she imagined and so does she.
“If we address stories as archaeological sites, and dust through their layers with meticulous care, we find at some level there is always a doorway. A dividing point between here and there, us and them, mundane and magical. It is at the moments when the doors open, when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen.” pg 2
January has never quite fit into the glittering and privileged world of her fabulously wealthy guardian, Mr. Locke. She perpetually waits for her father to return from his many voyages where he’s constantly seeking lost treasures for his demanding employer.
She has very few friends, except Samuel, the local grocer’s son, and, eventually, a feisty hound named Sinbad, “Bad” to those who know him. In her enforced solitude, January has a lot of time to herself. One day, she discovers something strange in a field.
“I almost didn’t notice the Door at all. All Doors are like that, half-shadowed and sideways until someone looks at them in just the right way.” pg 8
Once she has found the way to another world, January’s life is never quite the same.
I really enjoyed this debut novel by Alix Harrow. The writing is beautiful and most of the book acts as an homage to reading as an escape.
“It smelled of salt and age and adventure. It smelled like another world, and I want to return right this minute and walk those strange streets. Instead, I added articulately, “I liked it.” pg 13
It also asks the reader to consider the magic of thresholds. The two-headed Roman god, Janus, from which we get the name of the month, January, had an interesting place in the pantheon. Though he didn’t necessarily have a priest dedicated to only him, Janus would be invoked at the start of each religious ceremony, no matter who the ceremony was dedicated to. It was appropriate because Janus holds the authority over beginnings and endings.
He also has a mystical association with the conscious and subconscious mind. The two faces of the god coincide to the two portions of a person’s psyche. Janus can symbolize the unification of these two minds in order to become something greater.
It relates to this story as January comes of age and claims her own, very unique, abilities as well as discovering her mysterious past.
It is also somewhat of a love story: “It’s a profoundly strange feeling, to stumble across someone whose desires are shaped so closely to your own, like reaching toward your reflection in a mirror and finding warm flesh under your fingertips. If you should ever be lucky enough to find that magical, fearful symmetry, I hope you’re brave enough to grab it with both hands and not let go.” pg 91
Highly recommended for readers who enjoy fantasy. There’s plenty of magic and escape to enjoy in these pages.
Thanks for reading!
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