Earlier this week, I finished reading '
The Miniaturist' by
Jessie Burton. Burton's first book has caused quite a stir, gaining many passionate fans and winning the Waterstones' Book of the Year title. This should've reassured me, but I couldn't ignore the niggle in the pit of my stomach telling me not to get my hopes up too much...
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'The Miniaturist' by Jessie Burton
(Picador, 2014)
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'
The Miniaturist' is set in late 1600s Amsterdam at a time when capitalism, faith and superstition are in constant conflict, building walls and expectations between people and families. Eighteen year old Nella arrives in the city eager to begin life with her new husband, the merchant Johannes Brandt. But her reception is unexpectedly cold; Johannes is absent and neither her aloof sister-in-law Marin nor the household servants Cornelia and Otto make her welcome. Before long, Nella feels unwanted and useless, a mere bauble to demonstrate her husband's success, her hopes of children and love whithering away. In an attempt at kindness, Johannes buys her a cabinet containing a replica of their own home, perhaps hoping to paint over the cracks in their relationship. With little else to do, Nella decides to furnish it and begins placing orders with a miniaturist. But when unrequested furniture and figurines start arriving which suggest more is going on in the real household than Nella realises, she determines to find out more about the elusive artisan...
I'm delighted to say that '
The Miniaturist' is an excellent book. It's easy to identify with Nella, the stranger in a strange city, and I found it impossible to abandon her, especially once the web of secrets surrounding the Brandt household began to unravel. Events are heartbreaking and raw, but the young bride is made of sterner stuff than even she realises and the reader roots for her to the very last page.
The story is expertly crafted, full of characters with public images often at odds with their private passions and grand designs. Despite everything, the book manages to end with hope. In the hands of a lesser writer, it could easily have become depressing. Instead, it has all the tension of a thriller, the tenderness of a romance and the texture of an historical drama.
Complex, unexpected and sometimes shocking, '
The Miniaturist' is a book for people who like ideas and stories which make them think, stories which leave room for mystery and don't necessarily answer every question. If that sounds like you, then it is highly recommended.
It's hard to believe that this is Ms Burton's first novel and I eagerly await her next. Although I really do need to read a few more books first!
Now for a trip back to Anglo-Saxon Englaland with everyone's favourite war lord...
