Having decided to distance himself from the circus ring and his father, Mateo Salerno, the last in a long line of circus performers, tries to do his duty in compiling the stories hidden in his family’s hundred years of life in the circus. Beginning with his own memories, interviews with performers and all the material he has managed to accumulate over the years (letters, programs, film footage, memories, essays, photographs…) he offers us a mosaic of moments in the life of a circus company, stories from both inside and outside the big top using multiple voices to tell of the decadence and ruin of the old Salerno’s Circus, the true star of this ensemble novel. Mateo offers us a front row seat for the performance, where we find ourselves immersed in a natural, rhythmic prose which draws us into the most human aspects of this whole travelling cast. Enjoy the show.