The most powerful technique that Chabon employs in approaching the various themes of the novel is his use of history to not only provide a backdrop behind the action, but to actively participate in the shaping of the characters and the narrative. To do this, Chabon did extensive research into the history of the time, and into the Golden Age of comic books, as is clear from his author's note at the end of the book. For the most part, he uses real places and place names, creating a kind of realism for the story. The New York City of the 1940s and 1950s comes alive as fictional characters are placed within it, and carry out their lives on its streets and in its buildings. Several real-life locations are particularly important for the story, like Louis Tannen's Magic Shop, where Joe meets other magicians in New York when...