A story that takes place in a (traveling?) circus, tightly focused on a (large) circus family.
We follow several characters trying to find their purpose or overcome obstacles.
- One tries to attain “true mastery of body and forces/environment”. (The perfect act, everything in sync, a new trick nobody has ever done before.) => Without safety net!
- One gets injured and has a tough road getting back. (Even if they heal superficially, they still have fear inside them, and might have more permanent tissue damage.)
The rest of the family provide counterpoints. An older person who became “too old” to execute their routine, or “too ugly” to be the beautiful assistant. Another person who stepped out of the family entirely to do something non-circus-related.
Scandals or mysteries around the circus and its history.
Other questions:
- What if somebody else steals your spotlight? (They do basically the same act / trick / technique, but better, and faster, and they’re younger.)
- What if an act (most likely a clown) shows inappropriate behavior, but gets away with it because “it’s the act”?
IDEA: “Cirque Collata” => that old idea of mine can be extended into much more of a family feud drama thing, with kids getting injured, one kid not wanting to extend the family line, someone subtly sabotaging an act (which causes that other kid to be injured?)
The Circusia font would be amazing for the cover/art/headings of this book. But it’s personal use free only, would need to buy a license.
Name can certainly change.