Description

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