It’s been almost ten years since Violet Volk disappeared. And still people are talking about her. With this anniversary approaching, there is an upcoming documentary, a book re-release, and of course a podcast. But with all that comes anxiety for Sasha, her husband Gabe, and their daughter Quinn.
Violet was a magician, a master who could use misdirection with such finesse that you would think she actually had some supernatural powers. She spent years sharpening her skills, working at a burlesque club until she was noticed by a late night talk show host who invited her onto his show and gave her a national audience for a breath-taking routine that no one watching could forget. That lead to more television appearances, to television specials of her own, to her own show in Las Vegas.
After some problems with the Vegas show (a string of mysterious accidents, including a death, that people have different theories about), Volk took some time away. And when she came back, she had reinvented herself as a self-help guru, complete with a bestselling book, You Are Magic, and a long tour. She followed this with another bestselling book and another tour, and then she finally agreed to one last magic show.
The show was done in the town where Violet and Sasha grew up, where Sasha lives still, working in the hair salon their mother had owned. The act had an illusion where Violet would be on stage, would disappear, and then reappear in the balcony. There was smoke and noise and misdirection. But when the spotlight turned on the place in the balcony where Violet was supposed to appear, there was no one there.
At first, those working backstage thought something had gone wrong with the trick and looked for where Violet could be, checking the stage, checking the balcony. They found nothing. Eventually they called the police, who did a thorough search of the theater. They found nothing. Violet Volk had disappeared. It was her greatest trick.
Ten years has gone by, and Sasha has had to endure those years not as someone in wonder of the greatest living magician and her most impressive illusion. She is a woman whose sister has gone missing. She has had to deal with her grief as well as the internet trolls who came after her, especially once the Violet Volk Is a Fraud website went up. Sasha got pulled into all the drama, even though she had nothing to do with Violet’s magic act or her disappearance.
Now there is a podcaster, Cameron Frank, who is working on a podcast called Strange Exits about the disappearance of Violet. He wants to interview Sasha about her sister, but she refuses to talk. He does find one of her teachers, her magician mentor from when she was a child, Violet’s ex-husband, a woman with experience in the paranormal (Missing 411 and MK Ultra both get mentions in that interview), and a mysterious person with a voice-changer who only uses a pseudonym and claims Violet was working for the government.
Everyone in this story has a different piece of Violet’s story, and as Sasha listens to the podcast episodes and hears stories from her daughter, she starts to see her sister differently. She understands some of the pressures that were on Violet that she hadn’t known about. That doesn’t mean she can forgive Violet for all the things she’d done through the years, but Sasha feels like maybe she could find some healing. Or at least, put an end to the sleepwalking. If only she could talk to Violet one more time.
Acts of Violet is the compelling story of a magician pulling off her greatest trick. But more than that, it’s a story of sisters who spent their lives struggling to find a place where they could find each other. Author Margarita Montimore has crafted this story of resentments and forgiveness, of understanding and grief, of love and family, by putting together podcast episodes, letters, emails, and memories, leading readers to put together the puzzle of Violet and her sister.
I listened to this one on audio, which had a large cast to offer all the different character voices. It’s a phenomenal cast, and I think that listening to Acts of Violet is an ideal way to experience this story, as you get to hear the podcasts instead of reading the transcripts. Getting to hear the voices of Sasha, Gabe, and Quinn add a lot to this story, and I loved hearing how they interacted with each other. It really brought this story to life.
I thought Acts of Violet was an amazing story. I did not see that ending coming at all, and I thought it added a lot to the emotional resolution of the story. It was there but it was hidden, making the entire story an act of magic, and I was so satisfied by that final scene, so happy about it, that just want to tell people to read this book. I felt the same way when I read Montimore’s Oona Out of Order. There is something special about her writing, something restorative and hopeful, that makes me feel better about the world when I finish one of her books. That is my favorite kind of magic.
A copy of the audio book for Acts of Violet was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.
