An old-fashioned romance is how I would best describe
The Novel in the Viola. Set during the advent of World War II, Elise Landau and her family realise that it is no longer safe for Jews in Austria. Elise's father Julian and her mother Anna urge her to advertise herself as a domestic servant and trade her familiar privileged lifestyle in Vienna for one of servitude in England. Travelling only with her clothes, a few smuggled keepsakes and her father's unpublished manuscript hidden inside a viola, Elise embarks with much uncertainty for her new life as a parlourmaid at the estate of Tyneford owned by Mr Rivers.
Between worrying about her endangered family and struggling to adjust to her new life, Elise learns very quickly how much she has left behind and that things will never be the same. It's only when Mr Rivers' son Kit returns home from college that Elise's life takes an unexpected turn and a romance develops between the two threatening the noble orthodoxy of the estate.
This was a quick read for me and for the most part I really enjoyed it. Natasha Solomons has a beautiful writing style that sucks the reader into the story very quickly. Tyneford Estate and its surrounding characters are written with such gentle and thoughtful detail that it's hard not to fall in love with them, especially Mr Rivers. And despite their difference in age (Elise is only 19 and Mr Rivers is 40), from the moment they meet there is a connection between the two that becomes very addictive as the story progresses.
However, it is soon revealed that Mr Rivers has a son who is at college and unexpectedly he shows up. For some reason, Elise falls hard for this boy and this is where I start to have mixed feelings about the novel. Unlike all the characters in the book who find Kit's carelessness and rebellion charming, I found it annoying. Elise comes across as a thoughtful soul who loves to read and enjoys music. And it is through these two mediums that her special bond with Mr Rivers develops. Kit doesn't share these same passions and is instead immature, a little obnoxious and out to have some fun. So it's for these reasons that I found their relationship not only confusing but very shallow.
This leads into the next part of the novel that I didn't particularly enjoy. Although written in the first-person narrative and told through the thoughts of Elise, there were many times within the story that she made surprising decisions and described scenarios that turned out to be fantasies which, for the most part, is weird for first-person narration. Because of this, there were passages in the novel where I couldn't work out whether the events described were actually happening or whether Elise was having another one of her fantasies. It felt like a bit of a trick on the author's part, and made it difficult to sympathise and relate to Elise because of it.
But despite these few complaints with the novel, it is essentially a fantastic read. At times it is predictable and can get a little boring with the over-the-top descriptions of the (crashing) sea and (aromatic) gardens, but it does offer a lovely escape and glimpse into a fading bygone era. And the ending does serve up a bit of an interesting twist regarding the novel's namesake allowing readers to interpret at their own discretion. With echoes of
Jane Eyre and Daphne du Maurier's
Rebecca, lovers of historical fiction will eat this one up.
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