Sarah Canary is the first novel by Karen Joy Fowler author of The Jane Austin Book Club. A completely original novel by an utterly unique writer.

From a Chinese labor camp in Washington state in the late 1800’s to an insane asylum, to a series of adventures down the coast to San Francisco, two unlikely characters travel together through one misadventure after another, although it’s unclear who is leading who. They travel through the wild west of frontier days, when Chinese workers were laying the first railroad, during a time of steam boats and freak shows.

With a bit of historical fiction mixed in with magical realism, Fowler has crafted a novel uneasy to categorize. It touches on racism, sexism, identity, family, isolation, classism and above else the art of storytelling. Although I didn’t love this book, I found it fascinating nonetheless, and Fowler never fails to surprise and entertain.