Grace loves doing magic. Ever since her Uncle showed her some magic tricks when she was younger, she’s spent all of her spare time practicing her magic skills. It has helped her take her mind off things. Like her mother who hits the bottle more and more, and the reason for her drinking.

When Grace was six she was in an accident that claimed the lives of two close family members. She goes to therapy, does okay at school and gets on with life, but she knows there seems to be something missing within her.

“I don’t know about love. I mean I know the word and what it signifies, but I don’t understand the emotion itself. I think about my family and I try to understand how I feel about them: Mum, Gran, Jake and Uncle Mike. I should feel love, that’s what’s generally agreed, but I can’t kid myself that I do.” 

 

This missing emotion also distances her from her classmates, and Grace has no friends inside or outside of school. So when a senior student called Simon asks her if she’d like to go into business with him, she wonders why.

He’s seen how good she is at magic. If she does her magic and he promotes her on social media, they can split the proceeds. Grace doesn’t care about the money, but now she loves performing magic, and seeing people’s faces light up with wonder at her tricks.

There is one person Grace is particularly close to – her dad’s mum. She is crotchety, argumentative, and sometimes hurtful, but she is also whip-smart, sharp tongued and funny. They get on incredibly well, giving each other as good as they get.

When Gran gets some upsetting health news, Grace doesn’t hesitate to be her main carer. Gran is as difficult as ever, but they grow even closer while others help when they can. This time spent together reveals some truths about their family, the accident and a blanket of guilt they have all worn over the years.

Grace’s magic weaves throughout her Gran’s illness, her mother’s alcoholism and her own journey to find what she’s lost. With practice she finally faces her fears, and finds a way to help Gran deal with what she is facing.

Smoke & Mirrors made me laugh out loud, grit my teeth and cross my fingers in hope for the characters. As always Barry Jonsberg left me feeling all the more enriched for reading another of his novels.

Main characters Grace and her Gran spark off each other in this novel, but their special relationship changes and deepens through Gran’s terminal illness. There are unanswered questions deep in Grace’s past after a terrible accident, but these are slowly revealed through the women around her.

Magic is a key component, and many tricks are portrayed as Grace performs them, but the ‘magic’ of just how she does them is not revealed. Magicians in history are explored as Grace lives and breathes this craft, and spends many hours perfecting it.

Grace is an enigma to many around her, as she doesn’t reveal much emotion, fit in with her classmates or even care to do so. This makes her a captivating character, and although she believes she doesn’t feel love, she cares deeply for her grandmother.

Another beautiful novel by Barry Jonsberg – exploring difficult life issues with a thoughtful and authentic touch.

Author – Barry Jonsberg

Age – 13+

(2024, Allen & Unwin, Family, Grief, Magic, Humour, Ghost, Grandmother, Gran, Sassy, Rude, Cantankerous, Relationships, Loss, Guilt, Alcoholic Mother, Care, Love, Magic, Magician, Tricks, Sleight of hand, Conjuring, Magic Shows, Tik Tok, Social Media, Followers, Practice, Cancer, Dying, VAD, Voluntary Assisted Dying, Placebos, Pain, Terminal Illness, Wisecracks, Banter, Uncle, Trust)