The magician's assistant

Three and a half stars. I enjoyed this imaginative novel, beautifully written by Ann Patchett.

The story is written from the point of view of Sabine, who had been the assistant of Parsifal the Magician for a couple decades. Theirs was a very close, unusual relationship. After Parsifal dies, Sabine's grief is complicated by all that he has deliberately left unsaid during their many years together.

I enjoyed Sabine's dreams, most of which were conversations with Phan, who had been Parsifal's lover before falling ill with AIDS. These nighttime visits are both flashbacks of good memories and soothing comfort for Sabine. So even though Phan has died offstage, before this novel begins, he is still a presence in Sabine's life, as well.

As the novel begins, she is newly alone in a sprawling, majestic home in Los Angeles, when she begins to learn things about Parsifal that he's kept back, possibly even from Phan. And so the story begins...

There are some very nice, magical touches to this story. Patchett's description of The Magic Castle (which I'd like to see someday) and some of their tricks, including my very favorite card trick (called Out of This World), are delightful.

However, if I were a Midwesterner, especially a Nebraskan, I might feel a bit offended; the author did depict these people with an awkward, hickish brush, at least in the beginning. Also, the pacing was not perfect. There were a couple times I felt the story was dragging a bit, though it could easily be argued that this was important for the effect of contrasting daily life in Los Angeles with the same amount of time in Alliance, Nebraska. If so, I GET IT.

Anyway, not to say too much, I would recommend this because it is an interesting story, well told.