What do you think?
Rate this book
THE ILLUSIONISTS
Mad Men goes troppo …
A satirical scramble through the dog days of commercial colonialism in Asia.
Wane Sullivan was an insecure young advertising copywriter (aren’t they all!) – the golden-haired boy sent by head office to salvage a crucial account in the Far East. He was told to get out there and do what he does best – knock out a campaign to save the day.
Simple? He sure was.
With his head filled with classic tales of the mysterious Orient, he was counting on romance, adventure. The romance he found he could never have even imagined, and then the adventure quickly turned into tragedy.
In the end he couldn’t even save himself. Everyone said what happened to him was a shame. But they only said it for a minute.
Bitingly funny, rich in local colour, and with razor-sharp insights into the Machiavellian world of advertising, The Illusionists is a story about character, identity and displacement; about the dangers of ignorance and the loss of innocence; about isolation, temptation and destruction.
And it’s quite a bit about the perils of strange sex in a strange city.
It is also about advertising, which means tricky business, the pursuit of power and the whiff of corruption are never far away.
A satirical scramble through the dog days of commercial colonialism in Asia.
Wane Sullivan was an insecure young advertising copywriter (aren’t they all!) – the golden-haired boy sent by head office to salvage a crucial account in the Far East. He was told to get out there and do what he does best – knock out a campaign to save the day.
Simple? He sure was.
With his head filled with classic tales of the mysterious Orient, he was counting on romance, adventure. The romance he found he could never have even imagined, and then the adventure quickly turned into tragedy.
In the end he couldn’t even save himself. Everyone said what happened to him was a shame. But they only said it for a minute.
Bitingly funny, rich in local colour, and with razor-sharp insights into the Machiavellian world of advertising, The Illusionists is a story about character, identity and displacement; about the dangers of ignorance and the loss of innocence; about isolation, temptation and destruction.
And it’s quite a bit about the perils of strange sex in a strange city.
It is also about advertising, which means tricky business, the pursuit of power and the whiff of corruption are never far away.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2014
1 person want to read
About the author
Boyd Anderson
9 books3 followersBoyd Anderson spent several years as a creative director in advertising, winning many awards in New York, Cannes, London, Los Angeles and Sydney. Boyd now writes historical fiction. Amber Road is his fourth novel, following Children of the Dust, Ludo and Errol, Fidel and the Cuban Rebel Girls. He lives in Sydney.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.