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  • Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett book cover
  • Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett book cover
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Magician's Assistant

by Ann Patchett

A life built around a magician’s secrets

Critically Recognized
$18.13 USD
$30.22 USD $18.13 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Called “something of a magic trick in itself” by Newsweek

    The book is described as being “something of a magic trick in itself.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

A life built around a magician’s secrets

After Parsifal’s sudden death, Sabine discovers that the story he told about losing his family was false: they are alive. Her search for answers carries her from Los Angeles to Nebraska and unsettles the life she shared with him as his assistant for two decades. The setup links a private mystery to a broader question of how well we can know the people closest to us. Sabine’s journey is framed as one of self-discovery, with the contrast between sunny Los Angeles and Nebraska’s windswept plains marking a shift in both place and understanding.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in mysteries rooted in family secrets and intimate relationships.
  • Readers who enjoy character-centered fiction about bereavement, identity, and self-discovery.
  • Readers drawn to stories that move between Los Angeles and the Nebraska plains.

Themes

Secrets and truthBereavementIdentity and self-discoveryFamily and intimacy

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

From the bestselling author of The Dutch House, a secretive magician's death becomes the catalyst for his partner's journey of self-discovery in this "enchanting" book (San Francisco Chronicle) "that is something of a magic trick in itself." (Newsweek)

When Parsifal, a handsome and charming magician, dies suddenly, his widow Sabine--who was also his faithful assistant for twenty years--learns that the family he claimed to have lost in a tragic accident is very much alive and well. Sabine is left to unravel his secrets, and the journey she takes, from sunny Los Angeles to the bitter windswept plains of Nebraska, will work its own magic on her.

Sabine's extraordinary tale, "with its big dreams, vast spaces, and disparate realities lying side by side" captures the hearts of its readers and "proves to be the perfect place for miraculous transformations." (The New Yorker)


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Customer reviews

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Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

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Ella

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.