Obviously, I picked up The Prestige following thre recent release of the film version. But I’ve yet to see that, instead preferring to read the novel before the movie made or ruined the story for me.
The book begins in a modern day setting as Andrew Westley visits Kate Angier to find out why she’s sent him a journal. It soon turns out that both are related to a pair of stage magicians from the 19th century who developed a hatred for one another.
Then, via the mechanism of these journals and diaries we read first Alfred Borden’s and then Rupert Angier’s life stories in their own words. As they improved as magicians, they invented ever more elaborate tricks until both achieved something incredible.
I don’t really want to say much more about the book except to mention that you will find it in the SF section of your bookshop. There are some very strange things about this story.