FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1999. All Rights Reserved
| Books by David Bright The Spirit Cabinet Paul Quarrington must have eaten his Wheaties as a kid. What else could explain the scope of his success and achievement over the past two decades? An accomplished musician (as are his two brothers), an enthusiastic painter, and the author of eight novels, four plays and several works of non-fiction, Quarrington – still just 45 – is truly a master of his various domains. And now, thanks to research conducted for his most recent book, The Spirit Cabinet, Quarrington can add amateur magician to the list. His first novel in five years, The Spirit Cabinet is the tale of three magicians working their art in Las Vegas (where nothing is what it seems, of course). Preston the Magnificent, Jr. – or "the Adequate," as he prefers – hails from a long line of illusionists, but is increasingly out of place in a world that rates glitz ’n’ glamour over substance. On the other hand, the up-and-rising Rudolfo and Jurgen – a European double act, buffed, oiled and extremely slick – are the embodiment of G ’n’ G, their stage show a celebration of the outrageous and the impossible. The cabinet in question is part of a collection of magic equipment and texts once owned by famed escapologist Harry Houdini, and acquired by Jurgen and Rudolfo at an auction. As the book unfolds, Jurgen comes increasingly under the collection’s psychic spell, as he seeks a spiritualism so obviously missing in – even mocked by – their own magic show. As in Quarrington’s previous books – most notably Whale Music – there’s a cinematic quality to the writing in The Spirit Cabinet, and a movie version is perhaps inevitable. The characters and their respective neuroses all come alive on the page, and Quarrington controls the narrative with a masterly pace. However, the dialogue is somewhat clumsy at times, and you might finish the book feeling (at least, I did), ‘Well, that was good, but so what?’ Indeed, there is something of the magician’s trick to The Spirit Cabinet. It’s an impressive sight, no doubt, and you may have no idea how it’s done, but in the end you still know that it’s largely a question of bluff and manipulation. |
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