Benjamin Myers’s “The Perfect Golden Circle” is a witty, at times heartwarming, novel about two men who spend the summer of 1989 creating intricate crop circles in wheat and barley fields throughout England. It was first published in May 2022.
The two men, Redbone and Calvert, both have their own reasons for creating these crop circles, both largely using the time as a coping mechanism. The cathartic rhythm of creating these crop circles–a precise, mathematical system–helps them both in their personal lives. A main concern for both of them is not ruining the crops they are creating their designs in, and as such have come up with a way to only flatten the wheat of the field they’re in without snapping any of it so that in around two weeks it will be like the design was never there. They’re very concerned with not disrupting any of the flora and fauna that live in the fields they work in and follow a code they made up to make sure that the ecosystem is not disrupted by their work. Redbone and Calvert’s concern is touching and endears the reader to them from the beginning.
But the term “crop circles” doesn’t encapsulate the complex designs of their work. Redbone is the creative genius behind the designs, many times finding inspiration in psychedelic drugs, while Clavert is the one who maps out their nights, finding the perfect fields for them to create their masterpieces, and also the snack provider. Each chapter of the book is titled after the crop circle they make, as each chapter is just one night, the night they go out and make their crop circle. The names and designs range from Longbarrow Whale, Cuckoo Spittle Thought Bubble, and Bronze Fox Mandala to the pièce de résistance of that summer, of all the crop circles they’re ever made: the Honeycomb Double Helix. The Honeycomb Double Helix is going to be their last circle of the summer, and they know that with all the media attention they’ve received for their pieces before, all the copycats that have already failed in their attempts to capture the beauty of Redbone and Calvert’s work, it will take the world by storm. One of the circles they created earlier in the summer attracted so much attention that the farmer started charging people to come see his field and their work. There is, of course, much talk and speculation about aliens and spaceships creating these circles, with paranormal experts from around the world chiming in with their opinions. Redbone and Calvert’s operation is of the utmost secrecy, and they have no desire to reveal themselves for any fame they could garner for their mystifying designs.
The deep friendship between Redbone and Calvert is another aspect of the story that can be heartwarming at times. As they both have their personal problems they’re working through, and because they’re grown men (so the two are not the most emotionally intelligent), even though they are best friends, they have room for growth within their relationship. Redbone has never even been inside Calvert’s house, despite the fact that it’s where they meet up before they travel to the field they are working in that night. Throughout the course of the book some of the unnecessary boundaries that they have between each other break down and they become closer with every field they add a design to.
Myers’ writing style is a wonderful addition to the book, and he makes the words bloom across the page. It’s full of fun, descriptive language and alluring alliteration that draws the reader in and makes the whole book a joy to read, with phrases such as “the worms lie slow-squirming into expiration beneath the noonday sun” and “the leaves on the trees have become leathery and clumps of old moss have turned to powder, as delicate as puffballs.”
Overall, the book is a fun, quick read that has such an intriguing concept and a wonderful execution of it that the reader can’t help but love it from the first page. It deserves a 5/5.
