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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (view source)
Revision as of 12:47, 31 March 2015
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''The Miniaturist'' is a meticulously researched wonder of a book. Burton, her imagination fired by a trip to the Rijksmuseum, where she viewed the wealthy Amsterdammer merchant’s wife Petronella Oortman’s elaborate 1686 cabinet dolls' house, revels in creating her fictional world. She imbues it with authentic details including descriptions of actual rooms, pieces of commissioned art, a parrot’s cage, food made from wax, furniture made to exact scale and miniature puppets. She is a word smith, painting a rich canvas of imagery and emotions for the reader. Her ‘Nella’ Oortman is a tentative rural bride of 18 embarking on a union with an older, learned man of languages who has a warehouse full of strange curiosities.
On arriving at her new abode on the Herengracht, the ingénue Petronella discovers a troubled household. When the door opens she meets the enigmatic and imperious Marin, the assured Cornelia and the handsome negro, Otto. As the reader is invited in, witnessing events through Nella's eyes, a power play ensues.
The discomfort and palpable tension in the Brandt home is reflected in Burton’s simple prose, “The air is hot, the atmosphere a bruise.” When Nella’s husband, Johannes, awkwardly presents her with the gift of a 30,000 Guilder ornately carved and intricately crafted cabinet, encasing a nine roomed dolls' house mirroring their home, she feels patronised when he asks her to amuse herself by furnishing it.
Nevertheless she hires the services of an elusive miniaturist commissioning a few pieces that appeal to her expectations.This opens the door to further mysteries. Why does the miniaturist seem to eerily know more about her situation than she does? As Nella observes, ""she spins my life…And I cannot see the consequences."" Under the miniaturist’s gaze, the young bride ""experiences the unprecedented sensation of being impaled- the woman’s scrutiny is like a beam of cold light dissecting her, filling her with an awareness of her own body.""
Burton explains how her novel addresses moral anxiety through the motif of the reflective nature of interiors: ""It explores what is hidden, what cannot be said. It lays bare the struggle to be understood, the desire to connect, but also the wish to hand over our fates to an outside force rather than take responsibility for our choices.""
For a first time author, Burton is masterful in her command of simile and metaphor expressing love: ""You are sunlight through a window, which I stand in, warmed"", nervousness: ""''her fingers are damp, like a pond-pulled frog""'', austere anger: ""''the ice in her voice slides all the way down the stairs, making him freeze"" '' and the fluidity of movement: ""''the animal moves like spilled liquid, masterless, a chess piece rolling out of place.""''
Who is Jack? Who is Peebo? Who are Rezeki and Dhana? Why is it so important for Johannes to sell sugar for the Meermans? What is the Brandts’ secret that threatens to destroy them all? What is the miniaturist’s motive for sending messages? Is she a prophetess? Why is Nella writing letters to a clockmaker? Will she sink or swim in a world of religious hypocrisy where Gingerbread Men are outlawed for their false sugary idolatry? Are we the architects of our own destiny? Can Nella find the inner strength to deal with adversity and discover herself?
[[Category:Politics and Society]]
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