The Pilo Traveling Show

Greasepaint and grotesquerie abound in this zany sequel to Elliott’s debut, The Pilo Family Circus (2006). Jamie McMahon is still recovering from the midway massacre that ended the first novel, with no memory of having been abducted and enslaved as a clown in the Pilo Brothers’ otherworldly circus, when sadistic alpha clown Gonko once again presses him into circus service in the underworld. While Jamie and his roommate, Dean, struggle to escape from Gonko and his clown cohorts, subplots emerge involving George Pilo’s efforts to wrestle the circus away from his brother, Kurt; Gonko’s plans to siphon business away from the Pilos with his own above-world carnival; and the resurrection of JJ, Jamie’s murderous clown alter ego. This novel’s plot is very similar to that of its predecessor, but Elliott once again displays his skill at balancing the humorous and the horrific. Readers who enjoyed the first Pilo outing will find similar pleasures in this follow-up. Agent: Lyn Tranter, Australian Literary Management (Sept.)