This book introduces us to Zal, an Iranian albino child born to a superstitious mother, who interprets his odd coloration as demonic. Not interested in more children anyway, she wants to spend her time now with her birds, so she decides to raise Zal as a bird, installing him in a cage on her veranda, her aviary. It is years before Zal is discovered and rescued, receiving some international attention as the latest in a tragic series of feral children -- children raised by animals -- with no native human language. Zal is adopted by an American psychologist who specializes in feral children, one whose deceased wife was also Iranian, and who used to read to him from a book of legends, including the story of Zal's namesake, also an albino, also raised by an (enormous) bird, who eventually becomes a great warrior. Got it? There is a lot going on in this book. And that was all the first chapter.

Once we're all in New York, it isn't long before the long shadow of September 11 hangs over us. The main action of the book happens in 1999-2001, and it quickly becomes clear that September 11 will be the conclusion of the book. Will it be the version of 9/11 that we know, or some fictional version? If it is the version we know, how will the characters be involved in the actions of that day? I suspect for most American readers of this novel, your brain will spend as much time engaged with these questions as the actual text. And given your personal level of investment in that day, you may not be able to see this text at all.

Which would be a shame, because Khakpour has done some good work here. I really adored Zal, even as his actions sometimes baffled me. His well-meaning father and therapist, his odd, doomsday-foreseeing girlfriend and her dysfunctional family, the drama-loving illusionist, all were intriguing characters.

But for an American audience, what most opinions and reviews come down to is, did Khakpour pull off the ending? I'm not going to spoil the ending here, but for me, the answer was: mostly. Or maybe a better answer would be: enough. It worked well enough, given my level of engagement with the characters, to not leave a bad taste in my mouth.

September 11 is such a large event in American consciousness. I think we are ready, on average, for September 11 to appear in fiction. But I think fewer of us are ready for it to be a metaphor. Khakpour was very ambitious with this novel. ( )

I uuuhhh don't even know where to go with this one. I had a really hard time reading most of it. Parts of it kept me totally glued but others I was like HUH...What...and was completely lost.Not really my kind of book. ( )

Zal is born in Iran with extremely pale skin and light coloured hair. His mother is convinced she has given birth to a ‘white demon’ and puts him in a cage where she raises him along with her menagerie of birds. He is finally rescued as a young adolescent by his sister and subsequently adopted by a behavioural analyst who takes him to New York. Zal tries to appear normal but he can’t escape his upbringing completely; he dreams of flying and hides his secret stash of candied insects from his adoptive father. Eventually, in his efforts to become more human, Zal leaves home. He meets a famous illusionist, Bran Silber (whose last illusion is referenced by the title) as well as a young artist, Asiya McDonald, who creates art from dead birds. Zal begins a relationship with Asiya who suffers from anorexia, panic attacks, and who may be psychic but it is Asiya’s sister, Willa, morbidly obese and bed-ridden, that he falls madly in love with. He tries but mostly fails at new adventures while he starts and loses several jobs including one at a pet store from which he is fired after developing feelings for a well-endowed canary.

The story takes place between 1999 when the world was obsessed with Y2K and 2001 and the fall of the Towers. The character, Zal, is taken from the Iranian Book of Kings in which an albino, Zal is abandoned, then raised by a giant eagle, and eventually becomes a great hero. But this modern Zal is not a hero at least not in any way except in his earnest attempts to escape his bird identity, to become human, to learn to smile but then the times he seems to occupy are not heroic either – it’s all illusion, freaks, hurtful encounters, made-up rules about the unknown and fears of possible future catastrophes - at least, that is, until the last illusion is shattered by the reality.

By combining myth, illusion, and reality, author Porachista Khakpour has created a beautifully crafted, original and lyrically told tale of New York and of the terrible tragedy that befell it. At times funny, sad, quirky, sympathetic and, in its treatment of the tragedy, respectful, The Last Illusion is the kind of story that mostly entertains, occasionally infuriates, but always makes you think, and it continues to resonate with the reader long after the final page is turned. ( )

The Last Illusionist is not the book I expected to be a page turner, but somehow it was. Khakpour creates a band of characters who are tangible in their flaws, emotions, and situations, and tells their story in lush, generous prose. The re-invention of the events of September 11th in New York (as, there are other September 11ths I wish we could re-invent) is the climax of the plot line, and perhaps a turning point for some of the characters, if not all.

One of the things I really liked about Khakpour's writing was the unique voice she created for the different characters, especially for Silber, Ashiya, and Hendricks. The other has to be the invisible, yet very visible thread of King Zal's story in the Shahnameh, which I wish I remembered better than I do, having read it many years ago. The book does a good job of giving the gist of the story in several places, which works to jog memory and refocus the narrative.

Perhaps the one thing that did bother me was that some parts could have been edited a bit tighter (which is not necessarily a bad thing coming from me, as I say the same thing about most of Salman Rushdie's books...) Several times I felt like I spent too much time in a character's head. Every motive, every intention, every emotion seemed duly explained, which was not always necessary.

Recommended for those who like insect candy, magic shows, and New York.

Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for a copy of The Last Illusionist. ( )