The Disappearance Boy

What a delightfully quirky, eccentric, and lovable character Bartlett (Skin Lane) has given us in this novel’s hero, Reggie Rainbow. An orphaned young man with polio, Reggie finds himself in Brighton as part of a magic act in the dying days of vaudeville, just prior to Queen Elizabeth’s June 1953 coronation. Neglected and impoverished throughout his childhood, he nonetheless has a huge heart. This quality helps Reggie attach himself to Teddy Brookes Esq., a scheming roué of an illusionist. Teddy is used to working his charms on lovely young female assistants, whom he discards with abandon until the street-smart Pamela Rose joins the act. While Pamela embarks on a romance with Teddy, she also becomes close friends with Reggie. Bartlett is adept at portraying the seamy atmosphere promised by the book’s milieu, but there is nothing clichéd here. The most touching detail is Reggie’s habit of visiting cemeteries and looking for tombstones that bear the date of his birth—his mother died giving birth to him. The character’s growing awareness that he is gay, meanwhile, is handled with commendable matter-of-factness. He and Pamela make a winning duo, and the bond between them is life-affirming. Agent: Clare Conville, Conville & Walsh Literary Agency (U.K.). (Oct.)