The Houdini Effect (2016)
Print version:
Bill Nagelkerke
196 pages
ISBN 978 1 53049862 8
Electronic version:
238 pages
Smashwords US$5.00
https://www.smashwords.com/
With
the world of publishing changing so rapidly, novels for young New Zealanders
are becoming an endangered species. Publish-your-own and electronic publishing
are two ways being used to keep the genre alive.
The Houdini Effect (2016) is both an electronic novel and a self-
published novel by Bill Nagelkerke, an experienced and skilful New Zealand writer.
It is based on the continuing appeal of
the intriguing career of Harry Houdini (1874-1926), who achieved world fame as
a magician, illusionist and escape artist.
The
narrator of the story is Athens, who is doubly burdened by her odd Christian name
and the antics of her irritating young brother, Harry. Inspired by Houdini,
young Harry works hard to emulate his hero, performing his magic tricks and
illusions. Because their parents are pre-occupied with their own activities,
Athens and Harry have plenty of scope for their own activities.
“I
am an aspiring writer and writers are as bad, if not worse, liars than
magicians,” complains Athens, who narrates this story. She keeps seeing odd
visions in the many mirrors that hang in the old house that her family have
just moved into. Images of the previous owner of the house appear and vanish,
as though someone is flicking through a photo album. At first, Athens blames Harry,
who often talks of ‘smoke and mirrors,’ but his interest has now moved to
escapology.
“Houdini
could escape from anything,” Harry declares, although his efforts with a
borrowed strait-jacket always end ignominiously with Athens having to release
him. To her surprise Harry enters a TV talent show, where he proposes to perform
‘the Houdini Effect, which is an escape from a chained and padlocked chest. Again,
he needs Athens’ assistance. Athens is mortified to find that her role will be
to ‘wave and point,’ in order to distract their audience at the crucial moment.
Even
as Athens helps Harry to prepare for their public performance of the
chest-escape, the strange visions in the mirrors continue to worry her. The
tension is carefully maintained even as Athens frets about her relations with
her friends, a possible romantic interest and
Athens
is a delightful but controlling narrator, who keeps adding explanations in
brackets. (‘I’m not only a word freak but also a words-in-parentheses freak.’) Through
Athens' exasperated account, Bill Nagelkerke creates an amusing picture of an
odd family of slightly obsessive enthusiasts, which is reminiscent of Margaret
Mahy’s novels.
Trevor Agnew
(Oct 2016)
Note:
Both Bill Nagelkerke and Harry recommend the biography Escape!: The Story of
The Great Houdini (2006) by Sid Fleischman.
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