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The Trick
They meet in Los Angeles: a small boy who believes in everything and an old man who believes in nothing any more. What could possibly bring these two together other than the course of world history, which has the cruellest and most bewildering tricks up its sleeve? Prague, 1934: The fifteen-year-old rabbi’s son Moshe Goldenhirsch marvels at the legendary circus magician known as the ›Half-Moon Man‹ and his delightful assistant – he falls head over heels in love, twice over. Moshe runs away from home to join the circus, which is slowly making its way to Germany. Los Angeles, 2007: Ten-year-old Max Cohn climbs out of his bedroom window to find the Great Zabbatini, a jaded old magician. The boy is convinced – only magic can bring his estranged parents back together before divorce strikes. A moving and absurdly funny story spanning eras and continents, a novel about the fragility of life and the will to let magic do its work.
400 pages
2016
978-3-257-06955-6
»One can never guess what will happen in the next few pages. Emanuel Bergmann writes in a fresh, original style full of empathy. The Trick is both thrilling entertainment and sophisticated literature.«
»A sensational debut.«
»Bergmann’s storytelling is a feat of magic in and of itself.«
»Sweet, funny, magical.«
»A lovely story. A tale for those who continue to look for magic in the world.«
»The tragedy of the past weaves together with humor, love, and a belief in the impossible in The Trick.«
»The Trick [ . . . ] is a cheerful picaresque novel, in which even extreme pain transforms into a smile and history becomes reconciled with a pleasant and reassuring story, instead of catching fire and burning in a devastating blaze.«
»The most significant peculiarity of the novel lies in the immediacy of its writing, in its simplicity and flow, in the subtle irony that pervades it, even when it evokes the most tragic moments of Europe’s history. [ . . . ] People like to read stories like this one, even if they cannot believe in magic or charitable deceptions.«
»Haunting«
»This is a wonderful, inspiring book. Don’t miss it.«
»Bergmann packs in enough minor magic and miracles along the way to leave the reader willing to fall under his spell in an entrancing diversion.«
»The novel has humor and magic.«