Ten Thousand Doors of January (Harrow)

The Ten Thousand Doors of January 
Alix E. Harrow, 2019
Orbit
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780316421997


Summary
In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself.

As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger.

Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut—step inside and discover its magic. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
Alix E. Harrow is an ex-historian with lots of opinions and excessive library fines, currently living in Kentucky with her husband and their semi-feral children. She won a Hugo for her short fiction, and has been nominated for the Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy awards. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
One for the favorites shelf…. Here is a book to make you happy when you gently close it. Here you will find wonder and questions and an unceasingly gorgeous love of words which compasses even the shape a letter makes against a page.
NPR Books


Harrow quotes at excessive length from The Ten Thousand Doors, a book Julian owns, and January gradually discerns a connection between her own life and that of… a character in Doors. … [For] readers who enjoy portal fantasies featuring adventuresome women.
Publishers Weekly


Harrow’s expressive debut depicts humankind’s resistance to change, repression of the "other," and the desperation of the privileged when their prosperity is threatened. [A] magical coming-of-age tale and allegorical commentary on social justice. —K.L. Romo, Duncanville, TX
Library Journal


The Ten Thousand Doors of January is both whimsical and smart, using engaging writing and a unique plot to touch on serious topics. Harrow's debut reads like a love letter to the art of storytelling itself, and readers will be eager for more from her.
Booklist


Similes and vivid imagery adorn nearly every page like glittering garlands.… This portal fantasy doesn't shy away from racism, classism, and sexism, which helps it succeed as an interesting story. A love letter to imagination, adventure,… and the power of love.
Kirkus Reviews


A stunning debut novel with inventive worlds, sumptuous language and impeccably crafted details... Readers seeking a fresh fantasy with an enduring love story need look no further, and they'll be left wistfully hoping to stumble upon doors of their own.
BookPage

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY … then take off on your own:

1. How would you describe January Scaller—when we first meet her? In what way do events change her? Or, perhaps we should ask, how does her true personality emerge during the course of her adventures?

2. In what way does Cornelius Locke (good name, there*) treat January as one of his specimens?

3. January tells us early on about the power of the written word:

[T]here are ten thousand stories about ten thousand doors, and we know them as well as we know our own names. They lead to Faerie, to Valhalla, Atlantis and Lemuria, Heaven and Hell, to all the directions a compass could never take you, to elsewhere.

Talk about the meaning of her observation. In your own reading experience, does literature have the power to immerse you in its stories. What about this book in particular: has it pulled you into its world(s)? What other books have done so for you… or perhaps failed to do so? Is the measure of a book's worth to be judged by its immersive power?

4. Rather than crafting an action-packed thriller, Alix E. Harrow focuses instead on social issues. How does this book, for instance, address racism? What about sexism, including the way women are consigned to asylums for hysteria?

5. How does the book tackle the issue of class and the propensity of the wealthy to protect themselves in the face of threats to their position?

6. What parallels to life in the 21st century do you find in both the story and the story-within-the story?

7. In what way does this fantasy offer hope for change in the real world?

*8. Speaking of names (see Question 2), why the name "January": what does it connote metaphorically? Are there other names that possess symbolic significance?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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