A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
January Scaller is often left behind by her father Julian when he goes out in search of artifacts for his employer, Cornelius Locke. While January seems to be treated like a daughter by her father’s employer and guardian, there’s a sense that something isn’t quite right about the New England manor they inhabit. When very young, January uncovers a door that opens to a world that smells of sea and spice, but Mr. Locke convinces her it was a figment of her imagination rather than a memory, and over time tries molding her into a “proper” lady. But January soon realizes that she doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the New England Archaeological Society’s high class set, and when Locke tells January that Julian has died, it unleashes a power in her to open doors to new worlds with just the right word.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow was a book that, like most creative tales, resists being classified as any one thing. It is fundamentally an adventure tale and a coming-of-age story that follows a young girl growing into an independent adult, but Harrow integrates enough threads of romance, family life, found family, academic novels, and more stories that The Ten Thousand Doors of January becomes a tapestry of ideas and emotions that compels the reader to keep reading.
The biggest strength I found in The Ten Thousand Doors of January is the way Harrow portrays January’s progression. It’s worth noting that there were moments during the story that felt prolonged or unnecessary for me, but I suspect this allowed Harrow to show the way that childhood sometimes feels. January’s situation in particular accentuates this feeling as she’s forced to conform to a group of people that don’t see her as an individual because of her different skin color and the magical bonds that help facilitate her obedience. By the end of the novel, January becomes a true adventure heroine who sets out to explore the worlds she opens up, find her father, and even some love (without sacrificing herself for it).
For the average reader, I think The Ten Thousand Doors of January would be an enjoyable read for anyone who likes adventure stories or a strong, female protagonist. There are also elements of The Ten Thousand Doors of January which deal with the value of stories, myth, and creativity, which I personally enjoyed, and would recommend to anyone who enjoyed books that talk about the power of writing or stories without getting abstract about the nature of art.
For writers, The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a useful case study for anyone who is interested in writing strong female protagonists, though I would hardly use it as the sole example when preparing to write. I also found that Harrow’s writing did a phenomenal job of integrating history without making it the focus of the novel, and if any writer struggles with creating a way to do that in their own work, then Harrow’s novel could provide a great way of doing that. Finally, if any writer wants to write a book about the power of words without relying on the tropes of the academy or isolated research, The Ten Thousand Doors of January should be considered as part of their preparation because I have rarely seen a writer pull it off in a way that Harrow has without losing some of the compelling components that make such stories work.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on Fridays on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of R.F. Kuang’s The Dragon Republic!
The Writerly Review 