By George – Wesley Stace
In the illustrious history of the theatrical Fishers, there are two Georges. One is a peculiar but endearing eleven year old, raised in the seedy world of boarding houses and backstages, now packed off to school for the first time; the other, a garrulous ventriloquist’s dummy who belonged to George’s grandfather, a favourite travelling act of the British troops in World War II. The two Georges know nothing of each other – until events conspire to unite them in a search to uncover the family’s deepest secrets. While the dummy lies dusty, silent and abandoned, his young namesake sets out to learn about his dead grandfather’s past as a world-famous ventriloquist, his magical powers and their family’s curious history. Weaving the boy’s tale and the puppet’s memoirs, “By George” unveils the fascinating Fisher family – its weak men, its dominant women, its disgruntled boys, and its shocking and dramatic secrets.
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