The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

What to say about this book? I liked it It was a good read. It is about Sabine, a woman who's facing the second half of her life now that Parsifal the Magician, her platonic life-partner, has died of AIDS. While she's still in deep mourning a hint about Parsifal's secret past is discovered and Sabine decides to pursue the full truth against her parents advice - they'd like to see their daughter get on with it and find someone new, preferably this time a heterosexual.

The story flips between Sabine's discoveries in snow-dumped Nebraska and her dream-spirit encounters with Parsifal and his lover Pham. While she learns about Parsifal's early life, she brings the other half to the family that lost him when he was 18 years old. Slowly, everyone feels connected with the bit that was missing. The Magician' s Assistant focusses on an in-between place, where a pause occurs before whatever comes next for Sabine. Her talent for magic clearly exceeds that of her teacher, it just remains for her to use it as she sees fit.

What was unusual was the lack of presence Patchett's writing held for me. Which doesn't make it any less engaging, it was plenty interesting. I read most of it in one long sitting. But even as I plowed through the pages I realized that there wasn't anything that made me pause to turn down the page corner which is how I note a bit that has jumped out and whacked me with its insight/humour/clarity. I'm not saying this is necessary, I'm just explaining why there is no quote this time. Maybe something will hit me in her other novel The Patron Saint of Liars. You got to hand it to her, she does have nice titles.

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