The Book of Speculation is a book with a mysterious plot that centers around an ancient circus log-book. There are two plot lines running in parallel: the contemporary plot, in which a librarian by the name of Simon Watson receives the log-book in the mail, quite unexpectedly; and the historical plot, through which we learn the story of Simon’s great-great-great-great grandfather, a circus performer described in the log-book.

The contemporary plot unfolds like a kind of black comedy, reminiscent of The Wonder Boys but less zany and a little more stuffy. Simon’s life, already a little threadbare and marginal, becomes increasingly precarious as he grows more and more consumed with the mystery of the book. The historical plot has the feel of a sinister gothic mystery, with tragedy lurking just under the surface. The mix of these two tones works surprisingly well, the suspense annealed with just-enough humor as to make the story as a whole beguiling.

The book is just about obsessed with the symbolism of tarot cards; tarot readings and the meanings of various cards play a major - if not outright controlling - role in the story. The card illustrations in the book, in addition to being enchanting in their own right, really help to make the plot quite a bit clearer to anyone who is not familiar with tarot cards.

The story is also overlaid with an ornate set of symbols and themes - genealogy, flooding and decay, fire and electricity, the crumbling house that is an albatross around Simon’s neck. These elements align nicely with the story told through the tarot cards, although they are just a little too neat. I must admit that I sort of tuned them out a bit towards the end, more captivated by the story and less invested in thinking through these elements. (The story, by the way, winds up being a little too neatly concluded.)

On the whole it’s quite an enjoyable book, and found it to be a really an interesting take on tarot cards and what they mean. Even though it was a little too precise, the water-and-fire theme was pretty interesting and a nice touch.