An awkward and hopeful fourteen-year-old Katy with dreams of her own and a yearning for her chance in the spotlight couldn’t be more thrilled with her father’s decision. After all, going back to magic might be the perfect thing to cement a bond between them after years of distracted parenting. Helene is more reluctant to accept Lee’s ambitious plan, but with Katy on his side, she eventually has no choice but to concede. After all, a magician is nothing without his trusted assistant.
But the road and its perils prove to be much more daunting than the young and starstruck Katy anticipated. Roadside accidents, misbehaving geese, handsome but forgetful stagehands, and an increasingly distraught mother all provide a delightfully chaotic backdrop for Katy as puberty’s presence settles in like an unwelcome passenger on the months-long tour.
The floating piano, the disappearing horse, the floating woman; all the wondrous illusions from Lee’s show pale in comparison to the earnest way Katy describes her changing relationship with her father as she reaches one of the first signs of impending adulthood: realizing your larger than life parent is actually a human being.
I’ve always been fascinated with stories about stage magicians. The dazzling allure of the stage lights and appearance of mystery, the sequins and feathers, silks and smoke—it’s all spectacular from the point of the audience (or reader!), but Katy’s story pulls back the velvet curtain and allows us a glimpse at the very real people behind all that spectacular showmanship with a refreshing combination of the honest vulnerability of her teenage years and the insightful recollections that have come with age.
With plenty of vintage photos and historical tidbits, fans of magic and memoirs alike will love this unique and charmingly written story.