Summary

In the opening section of Chapter 1 – The World in a Globe – Coralie Sardie described her life living amongst the exhibits at her father, Professor Sardie’s, Museum of Extraordinary Things on Coney Island in early twentieth century New York, which included live performers as well as exhibition cases.

Coralie’s father had strange views about health and fitness which he enforced on Coralie. These routines involved Coralie bathing in ice water for hours at a time and breathing through a tube. Coralie and the Professor would swim in the sea every night until the winter when it became too cold.

Coralie explained that her father made her wear gloves whenever she was in public to hide a deformity on her hands. The Sardie’s housekeeper, Maureen, had scars all over her body from a jealous boyfriend who had attacked her with sulfuric acid. On...