Book Club Collection: 'The Circus Train' by Amita Parikh

Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in this World War II debut about a magnificent travelling circus, a star-crossed romance, and one girl’s coming-of-age during the darkest of times.

1938. Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite the limitations of her wheelchair. Then her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past.
 
As World War II escalates around them over the years, their friendship blossoms into something deeper while Alexandre trains as the illusionist’s apprentice. But when Theo and Alexandre are arrested and contracted to perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena is separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible—herself.
(Summary provided by the author Amita Parikh)

Amita Parikh was born and raised in Toronto. She earned an Hons. BSc from the University of Toronto and has spent over a decade working in the tech start-up industry in Europe, Canada and the USA.

Her debut historical fiction novel, The Circus Train, was an instant international bestseller, was shortlisted for various awards, and was translated into multiple languages. It is out now everywhere. 

Amita lives in New York and is represented by Thérèse Coen at Susanna Lea Associates.

Now that the ‘official bio’ is out of the way, let’s switch it up to the first person.

Apart from being an author, I occasionally write for the stage and screen, and dabble in podcasting (and that doesn’t include my full-time tech job - scroll for more info about that!)

I’ve been fortunate enough to have taken part in a number of merit-based talent schemes, including the selective entry Curtis Brown Creative Writing Course, the Royal Court Theatre’s Writer’s Group and the Edinburgh TV Fest Network Talent Scheme, among others.

Many people don’t know that writing fiction is just my weekend (and early morning!) hobby. I work full-time in the tech industry, and am both a full-stack developer and a skilled marketer. I’ve always loved engineering and science and never believed I had to choose between working in STEM and working in the arts. Both fields require a creative and analytical mind, and unlimited imagination. If it worked for daVinci, it can work for me.

5 Fun Facts:

• Every time I visit a new city, I have to tour the local sports stadium (and catch a game if I’m lucky!). My favourites are Camp Nou and The All England Club. But I’ve also been to Roland-Garros, Melbourne Park, the Stade de France, Madison Square Gardens…the list is endless!
• I’m a huge history & science buff. If I could magically transport myself anywhere, it would be either back to the Italian Renaissance, or to CERN.
• I’m a former varsity athlete and still play and love sports. I’m particularly obsessed with track and field. (If you’ve ever wondered who spends their Saturday afternoons watching Diamond League heptathlon competitions, it’s me. I’m the target market.)
• One of my favourite things is ballet - both doing and watching. My love for ballet (and dance in general) inspired a lot of the costumes and acts in my debut novel.
• I love gelato and keep a running list of all my favourite gelato places around the globe. To date, my favourites are a tie between the pink grapefruit at San Crispino in Rome, Italy and any of the fruit flavours at Luka Ice Cream & Cakes in Split, Croatia.

(Biography provided by the author Amita Parikh)