Lightness of Hands

It was three years ago when I read a draft of Jeff Garvin’s second novel, Lightness of Hands. At that time, the book was still not titled and I was forbidden to reveal anything about the content. But, the book was published this month (4/20) by Balzer & Broy, a subsidiary of HarperCollins. This is a young adult adventure story in the world of Magic, from sleight of hand magic to grand illusions. Also, the story is imbedded in issues of mental health.

Jeff Garvin has written a compelling novel about a 16-year-old girl, Ellie Dante and her father, the Uncanny Dante. They are down and out because 10 years before, he had failed in the midst of a televised grand illusion in which he was supposed to escape from a truck which was fully underwater. He failed, had to be rescued, and nearly died. The story of this failure made national news. Then, Ellie’s mother committed suicide. So, this story was a father-daughter adventure. But performing magic was the only way her dad knew how or was willing to earn money. So, dad and daughter traveled the country in an old and beat up RV taking whatever birthday parties or similar events where they could earn some survival money.

Sometimes, they paid for their next meals by lifting wallets. About the time Ellie and her dad were going to spend their last dollars, Ellie took a call from a magic team that had been on a long successful run in Vegas, and they wanted to do a show involving former magic performers, a sort of vintage magic show, and they wanted Ellies dad to have another try at the illusion that nearly killed him. They figured that if he succeeded, or if he failed again, that it would be good for their ratings. This was a trick that dad had not attempted since the big failure. Ellie accepted the offer without telling her father, and then she had to get him to Los Angeles without telling him why they were going there.

The author Garvin, filled out this story with a variety of cast members from Ellie’s life and from her father’s life, as well inventing some other particular interesting characters. This book is a winner, and I could not put it down. This one may be published as a young adult novel, but it is a very rich story that is also suitable for older adults. Garvin is a gifted story teller. The novel gets my highest recommendation.

Untitled by Jeff Garvin

I just finished a draft of Jeff Garvin’s second novel. The book is for young adults and is still untitled. I’m not authorized to say much except that I’m excited about this one. Jeff’s first book was a best seller in the young adult genre. Sorry, but you’ll just have to wait – I’m not sure when this is due for publication. I can tell you that chapter one is spellbinding. I was immediately hooked and had to find out what happened to Jeff’s protagonist and the associated characters.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Riley Cavenaugh is a 16-year-old high school student who does not know from day-to-day what would be the proper gender choice. It’s called being “gender fluid.” This person has the agony of not knowing how to fit in with his/her high school peers, who to fit in with her family, and how to think about himself/herself. The characters literally jump off the page in a very real and most compelling manner. And, just to complicate matters, Riley’s dad is a congressman who is in the process of running for re-election at the same time Riley chooses to “come out.”

Symptoms of Being Human is geared toward teens and young adults, a debut novel by Jeff Garvin, and is published by a subsidiary of Harper Collins. The book launch occurred less than a week ago, and this one is on the fast track to be one of the important books of 2016. Considering other events in the news in the past year (think Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner), it could not be more timely. The audience for this story should be to a much wider crowd, not just to people who are struggling with their gender identity, although they are the main target audience. Parents, friends, therapists, and anyone who is interested in the topic will find this novel illuminating.

The screenplay has already been written and Harper Collins is already negotiating with Hollywood for the film rights. I attended the book launch and now expect that Jeff Garvin, who may be a debut novelist but is also an experienced storyteller, is someone who you’re bound to see and hear on the talk show circuit. As a public speaker, he has a commanding presence. He is one impressive young man.