Behind The Blue Curtain Review

By Laura Wallace


There are stories and books that you only read once and forget as you close the last cover. Other stories echo through your life and redefine your perception of reading henceforth. Behind the Blue Curtain is a masterpiece by Steven Millhauser featuring a young curious boy who usually goes to the theater on Saturday evenings with his father. However, he decides that it is time to go alone. This is a decision that will change his life forever.

At the age of the protagonist, boys love the company of their fathers. The main character sets himself apart by deciding to make the journey alone. His aim is to get enlightenment instead of going for material wealth that characterizes the desires of many boys at this age. The courage and curiosity displayed make this boy different from most of his peers.

The narrative style used by the author makes it easy for readers to relate with the experience of this boy. It is told in first person, bringing to live the story as though it is happening now or you are hearing it as a narrative as opposed to reading. The challenges and quest of this main character are easy to relate to. According to the narrator, he feels as though the father is hiding something or being protective. This signifies a boy on a mission.

The author is not straightforward on where the book is set. However, descriptions indicate that the events take place in summer. Most of these events also happen in the theater and in a period somewhere in the twentieth century. While the protagonist is a young boy, nothing in this narrative makes it sound like the flip flop boyhood narratives.

A woman appears midway and is described as a reflection, to add a twist to the tale. The emphasis on mirrors by Steven is exemplary and stylistically ingenious. Though the boy and the woman portray conflicting personalities, their personalities and fate reflect on each other. There are similarities that are stylistically positioned to point at Mirror Reflections as a hidden literary image.

There is conflict displayed in a boy who has to choose between knowledge already acquired and continuing in darkness that most people live. Since he has acquired the knowledge behind these curtains, a certain part of him has to die and another boy be born. This death will occur when he slips into the office of the janitor and sleeps. His waking up in a dream signifies the rebirth.

Transformation upon acquisition of knowledge is a central them running through the story. The author uses light and passage through the candelabras to signify the journey. Another commendable element is how the author describes scenes and characters to make them understandable. This book is stylistically rich and easy to relate for readers of all kind.

The story has numerous elements that will make it unforgettable. These aspects range from a captivating narration style, character development and setting, among others. It is also accommodating and easy to relate for readers from allover the world. This is the perfect story for both academic and leisure reading.




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