Everything You Came to See: A Novel

(Hardback)

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Description

People say it like a joke, but Henry Bell really did run away from home to join the circus. A talented new performer with a struggling circus, he's found a place for himself among the fire-eaters, tightrope walkers, and contortionists. But no matter how far the show travels, Henry's past is never far behindthe mother he lost, the violent father he fled, the brother he abandoned.

As Henry pushes himself to create bigger, better performances, his actions become a wrecking ball to the relationships around him. From his costar, to the former headlining giant of the circus, to the circus manager himself, no one is untouched. Left unchecked, Henry's blind ambition becomes the very thing that could saveor destroythe circus itself. Unless Henry can reckon with the family and past he's left behind, the spark which drives him to perform may burn out or igniteengulfing everyone and everything he loves.

A story of the passion that drives creativity, Everything You Came to See is an unforgettable debut, challenging our ideas of familyand what it takes to rebuild them.

Reviews

"Everything You Came to See promises a lot in its opening pages. Happily, it delivers on all those promises and keeps offering surprises all the way to the end. This is a sparkling debut novel. Elizabeth Schulte Martin is one of the most exciting new writers out there."--Steve Yarbrough, author of The Realm of Last Chances

"This surprising, compelling novel has all the complicated blood and beauty of the circus--where everything is both as it appears, and so much more: the deepest pains of families, the need to be loved and truly seen, the urgency of creativity all folded up inside one another, like a magic act, like life. I was hooked from Henrys first act, and awed by the insight and compassion with which Martin creates this risky, wondrous world."--Alexandra Teague, author of The Principles Behind Flotation
"Everything You Came to See promises a lot in its opening pages. Happily, it delivers on all those promises and keeps offering surprises all the way to the end. This is a sparkling debut novel. Elizabeth Schulte Martin is one of the most exciting new writers out there."--Steve Yarbrough, author of The Realm of Last Chances

"This surprising, compelling novel has all the complicated blood and beauty of the circus--where everything is both as it appears, and so much more: the deepest pains of families, the need to be loved and truly seen, the urgency of creativity all folded up inside one another, like a magic act, like life. I was hooked from Henrys first act, and awed by the insight and compassion with which Martin creates this risky, wondrous world."--Alexandra Teague, author of The Principles Behind Flotation

Author Bio

Elizabeth Schulte Martin holds an MFA from California State University in Fresno and attended the Sewanee Writers' Conference. Her short fiction has appeared in the New England Review, Ninth Letter, Witness magazine, Hot Metal Bridge, and has received a special mention in the Pushcart Anthology. Elizabeth lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.