The Disappearance Boy

By Neil Bartlett

Book Overview

1953. The backstreets of Brighton are buzzing with preparations for the celebrations of the Coronation of Elizabeth II and, at the Grand Theatre, illusionist Teddy Brookes is plotting something crowd-pleasing to crown the occasion-with some assistance from glamorous Soho showgirl Pamela Rose. What the audience can never see is that, hidden behind the smoke and mirrors of his act, there is a whole world of secrets and lies...

And a disappearance boy.

In his acclaimed fourth novel, Neil Bartlett once again performs his trademark trick of slipping into the hidden spaces of queer history and bringing them vividly to life.

'Seductive, dark, theatrical and fascinating, Bartlett's writing is spellbinding'

RUSSELL TOVEY

'Bartlett is a seductive narrator. The Disappearance Boy is written in an intimate, conspiratorial tone familiar to readers of his Costa-nominated novel, Skin Lane ... Bartlett is particularly good at evoking the faded glamour of the theatre and the brittle egos that compete offstage... An entertaining routine and Bartlett pulls it off with aplomb.' THE INDEPENDENT

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 191262026X
• ISBN13: 9781912620265
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Inkandescent
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Clever premise with very interesting characters

This author exploded on the LBGT scene with the novel "Ready To Catch Him If He Falls". I loved that book so I was very anxious to explore this new one. Set in the days of traveling theatre acts, there are 3 main characters: The magician who is quite the dandy, his lovely and wise female apprentice, and his polio-damaged behind the scenes jack of all trades. They strive from town to town to find gigs in different opera halls and the like, and it is mostly a hard scrabble life. But our disappearance boy harbors a very deep secret: he wants to fall in love with the Italian bakers son. The magician is not of the highest moral character, the female has the whole thing figured out, and the reader is hoping that the disappearance boy finds his true love. An offbeat book, but never dull.