Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Jessie Burton's The Muse, an original, art-infused historical mystery

Like her best-selling The Miniaturist (2014), Burton’s second novel is a smart blend of literary and commercial fiction with intriguing characters and a compelling mystery at its center.

In 1967 London, Odelle Bastien, a Trinidadian émigré with literary aspirations, begins dating a man who inherited an unusual portrait of two girls from his late mother. Its discovery excites and shocks Odelle’s employers at the Skelton Institute of Art, since few works by the elusive left-wing painter Isaac Robles, who vanished during the Spanish Civil War, are known to exist.

In 1936 Andalusia, Isaac and his half sister, Teresa, become involved with the wealthy Schloss family, who are renting a nearby villa. Knowing that her own artistic efforts would be slighted by her art-dealer father, daughter Olive keeps them secret, a choice that has profound aftereffects.

Both historical settings are deftly evoked, and the alternating story lines enhance the charged atmosphere. Burton creatively infuses historical fiction with mystery in her exploration of the far-reaching consequences of deception, the relationship between art and artist, and the complex trajectory of women’s desires.

The Muse will be published later this month by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins ($27.99 hb/$14.99 ebook, 432pp).  In the UK, where the book was published on June 30th, the publisher is Picador (£12.99).  This review first appeared in Booklist's June issue.

I reviewed The Miniaturist two years ago and remarked on its original concept, underutilized setting (17th-century Amsterdam), and use of language.  It was a mega-bestseller that won a variety of prizes (see toward the bottom of the author's website).  The Miniaturist was very good, but The Muse is even better.  I admired how she shook up the traditional "art mystery" plotline, and after I finished it, I had a new appreciation for the title.


9 comments:

  1. Oh, yay! I just went to check and nothing about the audio yet, but since I read The Miniaturist by audio earlier this year that will likely be how I read this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amazon US has info on the audiobook - it has two narrators, maybe one for each strand of the narrative. It's out on July 26th.

      Delete
  2. Oh my, that cover is simply gorgeous. I read the Miniaturist back when it came out, so I'm looking forward to checking this one out. The alternating storylines each sound like they have a strong plot - I'm intrigued!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is an attractive cover. This is the third iteration of the cover design that I've seen! (Two others didn't make it to the final version.) Both storylines do have strong plots. I'm not sure which one I enjoyed more.

      Delete
    2. Great blog and blog name, btw :)

      Delete
  3. I thought the "Miniaturist" was terrific, though I found the ending a tad unsatisfying. Will look forward to picking up this one at some point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean about the ending. No spoilers, but I found the ending of The Muse more satisfying.

      Delete
  4. Nice review, Sarah. And, Holy Moly, what a fabulous cover!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lisa! And it is a seriously cool cover - so many elements from the novel are incorporated into it.

      Delete