"The Ringmaster's Daughter"

The Ringmaster's Daughter (Sirkusdirektørens datter in the original Norwegian) is a novel by Jostein Gaarder, published in 2001. It was originally written in Norwegian, but has since been translated into English (2002).

The novel uses a frequent Gaarder device of telling a story within a story. It is narrated by a Norwegian named Petter, who recounts his life since childhood. Petter grows up with a single mother and had few friends, although he does possess an overly-imaginative mind. As an adult Petter sells ideas, stories, and plots to frustrated writers, and soon expands to include clients across Europe. In the meantime Petter meets and falls in love with a woman named Maria. Maria tells him that she is leaving for Stockholm and that they must never see each other again, but first asks Petter to father her child.

Eventually writers and members of the publishing industry become suspicious, and rumors spread of a "Spider" who sells ideas to everyone. At a publishing convention in Bologna Petter is warned that his life may be in danger, so he takes the first flight out. Going into hiding, Petter arrives on the Amalfi Coast, where he falls in love with a woman named Beate. Both are initially secretive about their pasts, but as Petter begins to tell Beate some of his stories, Beate gets angry and disgusted, telling him that she will only see him once more on the following day. During the night Petter dawns on the realization that Beate must have heard the same stories from her mother, Maria, thereby making him Beate's father.

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Petter is a special child. Not because he has some physical disability but, because he has got an immense gift. The gift of imagination. The gift that renders him helpless in distinguishing between ‘recalled reality’ and ‘recalled fantasy’, he engages himself in a business both profitable and perilous. He starts distributing his ideas and plots to intellectually challenged individuals who make a living out of building novels around their borrowed framework. With time both wealth and recognition comes to know of Petter. But, his is an extraordinary life. A life riddled with imperfections and anxieties. A troubled childhood combined with a deep sense of isolation makes him commitment-phobic. Though he loves, he loves with a fraction of himself always held back in reserve. Almost in anticipation of a setback.

Maria, the only woman amongst numerous flings who he comes to love truly leaves him for a life in Stockholm. She gives birth to a daughter he is never to know of. Life with its glorious uncertainties moves on for Petter and unexpectedly comes full circle in the most inopportune manner. In times that prove to be both difficult and dangerous for his existence Petter discovers love again. But, this time in the arms of an intriguing stranger in an unknown land. A tortuous road to rediscovery and revelation shatters Petter and takes the reader along with him to his nemesis.

‘The Ringmaster’s Daughter’ is a book which narrates the life of a precocious child with such chosen simplicity that the reader is left asking for more. Jostein Gaarder, in this studied documentary of human nature draws unbiased portraits of characters victim to destiny and circumstance. Though at some places the reader is bound to feel a shade distracted by the advent of a plethora of concomitant tales yet, he is left sumptuously served at the closing paragraphs. He is sure to discover the very intent with which the digressions were designed. He is sure to close the book basking in the glory to have finally read a book which is not didactic on morality but rich in content.