The Lightness of Hands

By: Jeff Garvin

Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly

A quirky and heartfelt coming-of-age story about a teen girl with bipolar II who signs her failed magician father up to perform his legendary but failed illusion on live TV in order to make enough money to pay for the medications they need—from the author of Symptoms of Being Human. Perfect for fans of Adi Alsaid, David Arnold, and Arvin Ahmadi.

Sixteen-year-old Ellie Dante is desperate for something in her life to finally go right. Her father was a famous stage magician until he attempted an epic illusion on live TV—and failed. Now Ellie lives with her dad in a beat-up RV, attending high school online and performing with him at birthday parties and bars across the Midwest to make ends meet.

But when the gigs dry up, their insurance lapses, leaving Dad’s heart condition unchecked and forcing Ellie to battle her bipolar II disorder without medication.

Then Ellie receives a call from a famous magic duo, who offer fifteen thousand dollars and a shot at redemption: they want her father to perform the illusion that wrecked his career—on their live TV special, which shoots in Los Angeles in ten days.

Ellie knows her dad will refuse—but she takes the deal anyway, then lies to persuade him to head west. With the help of her online-only best friend and an unusual guy she teams up with along the way, Ellie makes a plan to stage his comeback. But when her lie is exposed, she’ll have to confront her illness and her choices head-on to save her father—and herself.

truly heartwarming story

The inspiring story of Ellie, a bipolar teen, and her down on his luck magician father. What they have to do just to scrape by is sad, but they keep a ledger so they can pay back everyone who they've wronged. As someone who's bipolar, it's refreshing to have a realistic view. A must read.

This story is my crutch

As an asexual 16 year old with bipolar 1, it’s relevant.
I live for this story and these characters. It will forever remain near and dear to my heart.

Incredible book

To keep this review rather simple, the book is a really great young adult novel.