When I put out my call for book recommendations, Diana Wynne Jones was the author whose name came up the most. At the time, I said that I’d never read Howl’s Moving Castle, just seen the movie. Amongst other titles, I added that one to my book queue and set to reading it last week.
…a second time it turns out, as the further I got into it, the more I realized that my best memories of the movie were actually from the book. Before the American release of Miyazaki’s adaptation, I wrote an article on the movie for the LA Times and I read the book then as research. How I could forget that reading experience is a mystery, as rereading the book now, it is an absolute gem.
Sophie Hatter is such a fantastic protagonist. The way her latent pride manifests as she slips so effortlessly into old age makes for such fun sparks with Howl. And for someone with no compunction about speaking her mind, Sophie is quite the unreliable narrator.
Howl, of course, is one of the most loveable rogues ever put to paper–a master slitherer outer who might not eat hearts, but effortlessly captures them from readers. The book might be 23 years old, but Howl hasn’t aged a day.
As crackling as the chemistry between Howl and Sophie is, what I love most about the novel is how it works as a “domestic fantasy.” The tight family unit of Howl, Sophie, Calcifer and Michael (as well as the Man-dog and chattering skull) are such a wonderful ensemble that even though the lion’s share of scenes are set inside one cramped room, every page is packed with whimsy.
Thanks for getting me to revisit this wonderful book. I can’t wait to see where Jones’ imagination takes me next!
