FICTION

Here We Are

by Graham Swift
Knopf. Apr. 2020. 208p. ISBN 9780525658054. $22.95. F
COPY ISBN
The mystery of the missing magician lies at the heart of this atmospheric Fifties tale. Ronnie Deane, the magician in question, was born and raised in rough circumstances in London’s East End to a charwoman mother and an absentee father. His situation improved dramatically as a wartime evacuee sent to a prosperous home in Oxfordshire, where he was warmly cared for by his childless foster parents and tutored in the art of illusion by his foster father. Postwar army service introduced him to Jack Robbins, a seasoned song and dance man, who encouraged Ronnie to hire an assistant (the more attractive the better) and to join his stage act. Love and success followed briefly. Then comes the disappearance.
VERDICT How did Evie White, the scrappy magician’s assistant and fiancée, end up with Jack Robbins, the small-time impresario, and where did Ronnie Deane go? The questions aren’t neatly wrapped up at the novel’s conclusion, but Swift’s (Mothering Sunday) beguiling tale makes the journey worthwhile. [See Prepub Alert, 11/4/19.]
Reviewed by Barbara Love, formerly with Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont , Jan 01, 2020
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