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A Novel“He stood at the piano, the raft spinning lazily from the force of the fallen bodies. The river was quiet; he did not know from where the shots had been fired. Trees on the bank rustled slightly in the wind. Rain clouds drifted slowly through the sky. A parrot called, and flew off from the opposite bank. Edgar's fingers remained still, suspended above the keys.” - Daniel Mason, in The Piano Tuner
Daniel Mason's first novel, The Piano Tuner, is set in late 19th century colonial Burma. Londoner Edgar Drake is summoned by the British War Office to tune a rare Erard piano, recently delivered to Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll in a remote corner of Burma's Shan State. The highly regarded Carroll has become indispensable to the British mission despite an unorthodox means of fostering peace, typically involving the sharing of literature, medicine, and now - music. Drake accepts the call to serve the Crown and leaves Britain for the first time in his life. The novel escorts readers on the journey that ultimately takes him to Carroll and the Erard. I've selected this book - the second novel in as many months - because it is a quick, engaging read that illustrates Burma's culture and the complications of colonial conquest. I found Mason's descriptions of Burma accurate and representative, insofar as I know the country more than a century after the novel's events take place. The author's careful treatment of the fine art of piano tuning demonstrated a great deal of meticulous research, as did his portrayal of traditional Burmese pwe. Like many others, I was struck by the quality of the book given the author's age and lack of prior publishing experience. In his mid-20s when The Piano Tuner was written, Mason spent a year between a Harvard undergraduate degree and medical school studying malaria on the Thai-Burma border. Much of the book was written during his stint in Southeast Asia (and completed in the midst of the abundant free time medical students enjoy). I enjoyed the book in part because I love the Burmese people and culture - and saw evidence of their beauty in Mason's novel. Still, readers needn't have any knowledge of Burma to appreciate the story. Its themes, in fact, are timeless and universal. I particularly appreciated Mason's exploration of the notion of art and unorthodox nonmilitary means of interaction between the conqueror and conquered. Without giving too much away, I love the novel's ambiguous conclusion. Is the British Army to be believed or not? Mason raises subtle questions that are well worth contemplating given the issues of our day. << Find this Book on Amazon.com >>
| ![[Book Cover Page: The Piano Tuner]](images/books/the-piano-tuner.jpg "The Piano Tuner")