In the hopes of saving his parents’ marriage, a young boy who still believes in the impossible elicits the help of a cranky old stage magician in Emanuel Bergmann’s debut novel, The Trick. (Photo by Todd Baker, Flickr)

Once in a great while, a book comes along that so completely captures my heart and imagination I can’t wait to tell others about it. Emanuel Bergmann’s marvelous debut novel, The Trick, is one such story. In it, we meet a charming little boy who sees the world with such wide-eyed wonder we can’t help but fall in love with him. After his parents deliver an announcement that will shatter his world, he forges an unlikely alliance with a cynical old man who has lost the ability to see all of life’s dazzling possibilities. Their friendship changes both of them in powerful and unexpected ways.