This historical novel (384 pages) was published in September of 2017 by Simon and Schuster. The book takes you to WWII Czechoslovakia and modern-day L.A.. Melissa read The Trick and loved it; it wouldn't be on our site if she didn't recommend it.
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This is the story of two people who never should have found each other, but become friends all the same: a precocious little boy from California and an elderly illusionist from the old country of Czechoslovakia.
The story begins with a Rabbi before WWII and ends in modern-day Los Angeles. What happens in between is the stuff of magic.
Our heroes are Max Cohn, the just-about 11-year-old who desperately wants to believe that magic spells can work, and the Great Zabbatini, a washed-up performer who needs to be reminded that enchantment still exists in the world.
Max’s life has just taken a direct hit from a bombshell: His parents are getting divorced. When he finds an old LP of the Great Zabbatini performing his most famous tricks, Max is convinced the love spell can save his family. But the most crucial part of the record is scratched.
Determined to put his family back together, Max sets out on a lark in L.A. to track down the magician. He finds Zabbatini — now just an ordinary, broken man named Moshe — and enlists his help. As they get to know each other, they realize their connection runs much deeper than magic words and stage theatrics.
This touching adventure story has so many of our favorite things: triumph over tragedy, unlikely friendship, found family, real family, a story that spans decades, and a sprinkling of stardust.
It also delivers searingly emotional flashbacks to World War II and explores the ways that sacrifice and family shape — and save — our lives. Even when it’s breaking your heart, it’s life-affirming and will make you believe in the pure, unstoppable magic of love.
‘The simple act of living,’ he liked to say, ‘and living well, is in itself a prayer.’ — Emanuel Bergmann
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