Goldenland Past Dark by Chandler Klang Smith is categorized as fantasy by my public library. I’m not so sure. Although the book definitely has a weird feel throughout, the first indication of anything actually otherworldly is almost sixty pages into the book. It is a wooden doll named Wags that the protagonist Webern sees come to life as a boy and who visits him several times during the story.
Webern is a 16-year-old hump-backed boy with stunted growth who works as a clown in a second-rate circus in the 1960’s. He had some hard times as a child — the accident which caused his disfigurement, the untimely death of his mother, and mistreatment by his older, very weird twin sisters. The book tells the story of his curious life, his friendship with Lizard Girl Nepenthe and his mentor Dr. Show, the ringmaster, interspersed by flashbacks from his childhood.
This is less fantasy and more of a psychological journey for Webern as he travels with the circus and later has to confront his past. The reader is left wondering whether Wags is real or simply an imaginary friend Webern never gave up.
Goldenland Past Dark is an interesting book, although one I would probably not have picked up if it did not carry the label “fantasy.” That said, I would not recommend it as a fantasy book, but only if you’re interested of a view into a disturbed boy’s head.