People say it like a joke, but Henry Bell really did run away from home to join the circus. A talented new performer with a struggling circus, he's found a place for himself among the fire-eaters, tightrope walkers, and contortionists. But no matter how far the show travels, Henry's past is never far behind-the mother he lost, the violent father he fled, the brother he abandoned.
As Henry pushes himself to create bigger, better performances, his actions become a wrecking ball to the relationships around him. From his costar, to the former headlining giant of the circus, to the circus manager himself, no one is untouched. Left unchecked, Henry's blind ambition becomes the very thing that could save-or destroy-the circus itself. Unless Henry can reckon with the family and past he's left behind, the spark which drives him to perform may burn out or ignite-engulfing everyone and everything he loves.
A story of the passion that drives creativity, Everything You Came to See is an unforgettable debut, challenging our ideas of family-and what it takes to rebuild them.
Industry Reviews
"Everything You Came to See promises a lot in its opening pages. Happily, it delivers on all those promises and keeps offering surprises all the way to the end. This is a sparkling debut novel. Elizabeth Schulte Martin is one of the most exciting new writers out there."--Steve Yarbrough, author of The Realm of Last Chances
"This surprising, compelling novel has all the complicated blood and beauty of the circus--where everything is both as it appears, and so much more: the deepest pains of families, the need to be loved and truly seen, the urgency of creativity all folded up inside one another, like a magic act, like life. I was hooked from Henry's first act, and awed by the insight and compassion with which Martin creates this risky, wondrous world."--Alexandra Teague, author of The Principles Behind Flotation
"Everything You Came to See promises a lot in its opening pages. Happily, it delivers on all those promises and keeps offering surprises all the way to the end. This is a sparkling debut novel. Elizabeth Schulte Martin is one of the most exciting new writers out there."--Steve Yarbrough, author of The Realm of Last Chances
"This surprising, compelling novel has all the complicated blood and beauty of the circus--where everything is both as it appears, and so much more: the deepest pains of families, the need to be loved and truly seen, the urgency of creativity all folded up inside one another, like a magic act, like life. I was hooked from Henry's first act, and awed by the insight and compassion with which Martin creates this risky, wondrous world."--Alexandra Teague, author of The Principles Behind Flotation
