Carter Beats the Devil
by Glenn David Gould
review by Chris Kemp

This book has drawn comparisons to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon, and there are valid parallels. The two novels are character driven. They create an atmosphere using an acute sense of time and place with a generous helping of historic fact. They also focus upon a particular aspect of pop culture. In "Kavalier's" case, this is the dawn and development of comic books; in Carter's it's the heyday of stage magicianship. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay is a more major achievement, but Carter Beats the Devil is not without merit.

Carter Beats the Devil follows the rise of Charles Carter, an actual magician whose career crested in the 1920s. Those who like tight, plot driven narratives may take issue with the story's leisurely pace as it unwraps the biographic details of Carter's life. This aspect of the novel frustrated me, especially after I was dazzled by the opening scene that describes, in great detail, a breathtaking Carter performance that happens to coincide with the assassination (or is it?) of President Warren G. Harding.

Yes, Warren Harding is a minor character in this book, one of the many "real" historic figures that populate its pages. Included are the inventor of television, Philo Farnsworth, and the most famous magician of all, Harry Houdini. This story device is appealing, as is the detail Gould provides about the magicians (and tricks) that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century. Reproductions of posters used by the more famous magicians of the time are included, as well. I especially like when Gould allows us to witness Carter's shows as if we were insiders backstage--particularly the elaborate three-act show (it may be Carter's last!) that is the centerpiece of the book's rousing climax.

There is something to be said for the setting, too--the San Francisco Bay Area of the 1920s. The "Roaring Twenties" is a decade that seems perfectly suited for magic--silent film stars, bootleggers and a national fascination with Egypt contribute to its allure. Gould is adept at using language that reflects the time and place. Plus I was born and raised in Oakland, have probably run around Lake Merritt hundreds of times, and it was a real kick having Carter live just up the street from it. One of the most charming, atmospheric scenes is when Carter walks his pet lion (!) around the lake late at night and, by chance, meets the woman who will eventually become his second wife.

This book came highly recommended to me, so in that context it disappointed me. In fact, it took me two months to get through its over 480 pages (I kept putting it down to read other things). I think part of the reason I kept drifting is while it spends a considerable amount of time on Carter's life details, I didn't really care about him. Actually, I felt I hardly knew him. I also found myself asking, from time to time, "What's the point of this story?" I'm pretty sure, however, that fans of popular historical fiction like Ragtime and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay will like it, as will those fixated on magic, the 1920s and even (gasp!) good old Oakland, California.