The Confabulist by Steven Galloway, Alfred Knopf Canada Publisher, 304 pages, $29.95.
The line between belief and reality is challenged in Steven Galloway's engrossing new book. Decades after his death Houdini's reputation as the greatest escape artist lives on, and Galloway dives into the mysterious magician's life as bravely as a volunteer about to be sawn in half.
Behind the performer are layers of intrigue where truth and fiction blur while ambition and manipulation battle for control. Harry Houdini's story is interwoven with that of Martin Straus who Galloway has created as Houdini's killer. His torment over what he'd done has ruined his life and estranged him from everyone he's loved.
With sleight of hand misdirection Galloway moves through several storylines as he follows Houdini's career, sharing some secrets but never telling us too much. In contrast, Straus is desperate to unburden himself of the truth but he is suffering from a condition where he experiences false memories and is unsure where the truth lies.
Galloway waits until the end to pull back the curtains and let us see these two men for who they really are.
