World of Wonders by Robertson Davies

Second reading; first read about 15 years ago

Book 3 of The Deptford Trilogy

For this final volume of the trilogy, Davies returns as a compelling storyteller after somewhat neglecting this aspect of his talent in the second volume. This is the life history of Paul Dempster, the son of the woman who was permanently injured by the snowball thrown by Boy Staunton in volume 1. As Paul reports it, he has essentially lived four lives--first, as an object of scorn in Deptford, the son of the women called "hoor" by the local bullies; second, as Cass Fletcher, after he is kidnapped by a sodomite who is a member of a carnival troupe and forced to become part of a magic act; third, as Mungo Fetch when he becomes the double for a famous actor and enters the world of the theater; fourth, as Magnus Eisengrim when he becomes a world-famous magician.

Of course, Davies imparts so much more than just as engrossing and inventive plot. The reader is left with many avenues for further thought, including considerations of the effects of viewpoint on any history of events and the inevitability of the consequences of all actions, even those which might seem trivial. Myth-making and Jungian psychology and religious philosophy also enter in.

And we find out who really killed Boy Staunton (maybe).

Volume 1 of this trilogy, Fifth Business, and this one work well as stand-alone novels, but I don't feel that the second book, The Manticore, would be well understood by itself. Ideally, all three should be read one after another, making for a most satisfactory reading experience.