The Magician's Assistant

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of anti-gay bias, domestic violence, and physical abuse, as well as discussion of AIDS and the social stigma of its diagnosis during the time the novel takes place.

Sabine is the protagonist of The Magician’s Assistant and the titular character, and the evolution of her worldview after her husband’s death fuels the primary plotline. Sabine is a complex character with a unique life. She fulfills the role of a magician’s assistant for years, but this role is mirrored in her personal life as well, which means that Sabine spends much of her life assisting others. She is in love with Parsifal, who is gay, so Sabine makes herself indispensable to him in other ways. However, this choice relegates Sabine to the margins of her own life, even though she accepts this position as an assistant in both her home and her performative life, taking second place to Phan, the man whom Parsifal loves. While Phan and Parsifal share the kind of love that Sabine has for Parsifal, Sabine’s romantic feelings remain unrequited, leaving her feeling jealous of Phan in many ways. It is important to note that Parsifal loves Sabine in the only way he can, and the depth of their friendship is not negated within the novel.