Books as Sacrament: “THE STARLESS SEA” BY ERIN MORGENSTEIN

Have you ever been in a dream, where you were wanting to wake up, then thinking you had awakened, only to find yourself within yet another dream? If so, you will understand the context of this incredible book The Starless Sea. It is like a dream within a dream within a dream.. characters appearing and disappearing into and out of various parallel realities.. that cause one to question  how that might be, in essence, the predicament in which we find ourselves on Earth. Every night, we find ourselves in multifarious realities,  that may be familiar from our daily lives or totally bazaar from realities we could never have imagined, all appearing as absolutely real whilst we are in them.

This is a book for those who feel homesick for a place they’ve never been.. (called ‘Fernweh’ in this rendition of that feeling). Morgenstein beautifully crafts an imaginary world with such vivid delicate detail that you can’t help but feel like it truly exists. She is a story teller’s story teller. It almost feels like a fantastical, delirious dream that makes awakening back to “reality” feel like a disappointment. It is a puzzlebox of a book, full of meta-narratives and small folkloric tales that delight and illuminate along the way. She uses poetic, honey-like prose to tell a story that plays with the very concept of what we expect reality to be.  Join us for this fascinating adventure!