By George
by Wesley Stace
Published by Little, Brown and Company
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Reviewed by Rowena Brew
George Fisher–one name, two boys. One is an eleven-year-old human boy living in 1970’s England, and the other is a ventriloquist’s dummy, in the 1940s.
The human George comes from a family of performers. His mother, the famous Frankie Fisher, beloved stage and pantomime star, spends her time in a whirlwind of show schedules, travelling from town to town with the shows.
His grandmother, Queenie Fisher, was a children’s entertainer in her time, adored by the hoards of children that she entertained at birthday parties. And then there is his great-grandmother, the fabulous, and formidable, Evie, who went by the stage name of Echo Endor. Echo Endor and her ‘boy’, Narcissus, had been a celebrated act in the 1940s, much loved by her public.
Due to his mother’s hectic schedule, and his great-grandmother’s recent turn for the worse, George finds himself shipped off to Upside School For Boys, a dreary boarding school. George does not fit in with the other boys, and finds himself seeking solace in the school’s old and dusty library.
The other George was ‘born’ in the 1940s–a product of the famous Romando, where all of the best ventriloquist’s dummies were made. Commissioned by Echo Endor for her son, Joe Fisher, George finds himself cast aside by Joe, who has no interest in following in his mother’s footsteps.
From his vantage point in Joe’s room, George narrates his own story, and the story of Joe “King” Fisher, who despite his initial reluctance to be a ventriloquist, finds himself drawn to it. And through the manipulation of his mother, he finds his path in life laid out for him, without having any choice in the matter himself.
This is a story of youth, life and the twists in the path of life that we often encounter and must take, while not knowing where they will ultimately lead us.
This is the second book by Wesley Stace, a well-loved singer/songwriter who performs under the name John Wesley Harding. His first book, Misfortune, was published in 2004.
Armchair Interviews says: Unique use of a ventriloquist’s dummy in a story.
Author’s Web site: http://www.WesleyStace.com