When mild-mannered mail clerk Bertie Jones tries his luck as an Elvis Presley impersonator, his whole world gets shaken up. His doting mother doesn’t approve, for a start. But with his best friend as his overzealous manager and a budding romance with Jasmine, a Michael Jackson tribute artist, Bertie just might be about to hip-shake his way to the most unlikely stardom.
Take a front-row seat to a tour de force of a musical and personal journey, set against the backdrop of a banking royal commission and a white-knuckle road trip that includes a run-in with a Ned Kelly impersonator – all squeezed into a tight rhinestone jumpsuit. It’s a rollicking return for the King… and one he definitely would not have seen coming.
John Tesarsch is the author of three acclaimed literary novels, The Philanthropist, The Last Will and Testament of Henry Hoffman and Dinner with the Dissidents, which was shortlisted for the Colin Roderick Award. With his fourth novel, Tesarsch takes a step in an entirely different direction. When Jokers Were Kings is an uplifting romantic comedy brimming with offbeat ideas about modern life, love and finding your voice.
The novel follows down-on-his-luck Berties, full name Engelbert, which his mother insists on calling him. Bertie weighs 100kgs, works in the mailroom at Southern Cross Bank and still lives with his mother. The novel is set during the Royal Banking Commission, and there’s not much Bertie can do but watch as most of his coworkers get the sack, knowing that any day now he could be next. Then, after a drunken karaoke performance at the office Christmas Party, Bertie and everyone around him discovers that he has the voice of an angel, and his career as an unlikely Elvis Impersonator begins.
This is a warm, thoughtful and hilarious read with a likeable character at its centre whom you can’t help but root for. Bertie’s love interest and fellow impersonator, Jasmine, was also fascinating, and their story was a joy to follow.
Fun and full of laughs, When Jokers Were Kings is an uplifting romantic comedy that is sure to appeal to Elvis fans everywhere.
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