Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
"A hostile stranger is hunting Dr. Show's ramshackle travelling circus across 1960s America. His target: the ringmaster himself. Struggling to elude the menace, Dr. Show scraps his ambitious itinerary, ticket sales plummet, and nothing but disaster looms. The troupe's unravelling hopes fall on their latest and most promising recruit, Webern Bell, a sixteen-year-old stunted hunchback devoted obsessively to perfecting the surreal clown performances that come to him in his dreams. But as they travel through a landscape of abandoned amusement parks and rural ghost towns, Webern's bizarre past starts to pursue him, as well."--Amazon.com.
Goldenland past dark: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This surreal literary fantasy contains adult themes of physical deformity, obsession, and menace in a decaying circus setting with implied violence and psychological darkness throughout.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include ableism, body image issues, and stalking (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens drawn to dark, dreamlike stories about outcasts will find this atmospheric tale of a hunchback circus performer haunting and unforgettable.