The Illusionist

Self-made magician captivates women of Sparta, New York, while local bad boy broods

Dinitia Smith’s clever work, The Illusionist begins with a young man named Dean Lily coming into the upstate New York town of Sparta. There he draws attention to himself by performing magic tricks that entertain the locals at the Wooden Nickel Bar in town.

He exhibits all of the traits of a typical 20-year old male including a healthy sexual attraction to the young women of the town. The young women respond to his sexual advances, drawn by an urge they cannot fully comprehend.

The story is told through the eyes of three women, Chrissie, Terry, and Melanie. Each describe their own relationship with Dean Lily and the way they perceive the relationship between Dean and the two other women. Chrissie, the first narrator in the book says of Dean, "There was something about him that just struck you right away, that made your eyes rest upon him and made you puzzle. I know now that I wondered what he was, the question passed through my mind without being formed into words."

Lurking in the background of the story is Brian Perez and his constant companion Jimmy Vladeck. Describing Brian Chrissie says, "Brian would have been handsome if he wasn’t so empty, so dangerous and unpredictable." Over the years the abusive men his mother bought into her home have damaged Brian and left him mean spirited.

Brian is completely and utterly obsessed with Melanie, the County Schoolgirl Queen during her senior year in high school. During their early childhood, she alone befriended Brian against schoolmates’ taunts. "Melanie’s weird," Chrissie tells Dean. "She takes pity on people. The weaker, the sicker they are… Anyway, Brian’s good-looking. I think she kinds of looks on him as her brother. They’ve been friends since they were little. Melanie’s always defended him."

Dean first befriends Chrissie, then captivates and moves in with Terry. Upon meeting Dean for the first time, Terry says, "I noticed the soft flesh of his neck above the rim of his collar, so vulnerable there, the tender curve of his flesh, made me want to put my tongue on it. I noticed he had high cheekbones, delicate bones. The little smile on his face like he knew he was cute, and was in charge of the situation."

Once firmly settled into Terry’s home and established as the father figure for Terry’s young son Bobby, Dean gets restless and wants change. He gets Chrissie to throw him a birthday party so he can meet Melanie. After inviting Melanie to the party, Chrissie says, "And now I was excited. It was the excitement you feel when you are going to cause a big change, alter the course of events, disrupt things, and you are sitting back to watch if all unfold in front of you."

The Illusionist is filled with complex characters each driven by their own needs and desires. Dean is pulled to Melanie in the same way that Melanie is drawn to him. The cathartic climax of this compelling book brings all five main characters together to seal their respective fates.

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