Sonata for Miriam

by Linda Olsson

Book Overview

A haunting novel of loss, love, and human connection from the author of Astrid & Veronika Linda Olsson's first novel, Astrid & Veronika , introduced readers to her gorgeous prose, and her extraordinary understanding of human relationships. With her second novel, she once again charts that terrain in a novel that also explores the significant impact of history on individual lives. In Sonata for Miriam , two events occur that will change composer Adam...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143114700
• ISBN13: 9780143114703
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.2" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Sophmore Curse

Written by Linda Olsson, whose debut novel ASTRID AND VERONIKA is one of the most beautifully written books I've read in ages and made me an instant fan of hers. I wanted to like this book as well but it fell short. Yes, Linda Olsson shows the same talent to write beautiful, contemplative prose as her debut, yet this novel lacked the passion I felt in the first. As a result the novel felt flat, the characters never came to life. I want to say that perhaps her heart wasn't in the story, but in reading the author's interview at the back of the book, it seems that this story actually captivated her and left her feeling drained by its completion. So I'm not sure what went in the translation of her dedication to the story to its translation to the page. Still, Linda Olsson is one of my favorite authors, and I believe one of the most talented writers writing today, and I can't wait to read what she writes next.

Beautiful tale of loss - 3.5

There are books that rely heavily on their tone and language. "Sonata for Miriam" is, to a certain extent, one such book. This is a beautifully written novel. Let's make that clear. The writing is surprisingly vivid and the tone throughout has an elegance to it that it unmatched by many books. This is a small book in many senses of the word. It doesn't attempt to do more than it really is. It presents a small cast of characters where each character is facing his/her own struggles and mysteries. "Sonata for Miriam" is built on loss - the loss of a child, of a lover, of parents, or of friends. There are two stories - one of the Holocaust and the past, and one of the recent loss of a child. The simplicity of the dual story (a search for the past and a search for the present) is charming as it winds around itself and comes back full circle. And all throughout beautifully presented. Still, not all aspects to this book are as wonderful as the writing. Many of the characters sound similarly stiff, as though they aren't speaking in their native tongue. And those who speak in their native tongue don't necessarily sound comfortable with it, preferring to use flowery words in exchange for simple ones. There's also one unrealistic scene in which main character Adam reads letters that are presumably in a language he does not speak. Combined with the beautiful descriptions and the calmly vague tone to the novel, these flaws add to the distance of the novel, as though it's blurry at times. In the end, though, for all the vagueness, for all the stiff speech, it's a nice read. The music theme adds to the charm like another layer to the language. In general, the artistic aspects to this book are enough to recommend it. It presents the translation of life to art well. The two stories merge and diverge easily, presenting a beautiful story about loss of all kinds. It's not a book to be taken for more than what it is, but it is, ultimately, an enjoyable read, especially for musicians or artists. 3.5.

Reconnection

Sometimes coincidences can be immensely fruitful in generating a novel. On the same bright Saturday morning in Auckland, New Zealand, composer Adam Anker both finds the key to his lost childhood and loses his own child. The first is a metaphor, the second a reality. For Adam's teenage daughter Miriam is killed in a random accident; this intricate book is the verbal equivalent of the violin sonata that Adam writes in an attempt to exorcise her death. But that same Saturday morning has planted a seed. Adam has come upon a piece of information that will eventually take him back to his birthplace in Krakow, in a quest to learn about his family and reconnect with his estranged lover Cecilia, who does not yet know of her daughter's death. Sometimes, though, coincidences can be taken too far. Even if you grant that first link in a chain -- that an old Polish woman with an intimate connection to Adam's family should also turn up in distant New Zealand -- the remaining fragments join up a little too neatly to be plausible after the Holocaust had shattered most such connections. And it is a complicated story, involving two families, pairs of siblings, and a silver box of conveniently-never-opened letters. Told as it is, in a time-shifting texture a memories within memories, the story is certainly mesmerizing, but also difficult to keep straight on a factual level. Linda Olsson, a Swedish author now living in New Zealand, writes like a poet: "Should I have known that this scene, in its everyday triviality, would become the shimmering crescendo of the memories on which I now sustain a life?" But she also takes a poet's licence in creating parallels between characters -- for example those involving music, speech, and silence -- that, while beautiful, also seem a little too contrived. Contrived. It is Olsson's own word. Early in the novel, Adam says: "Simplicity is underrated. It is possible to consciously create the complex, the contrived, but it is impossible to manufacture simplicity." All through the book, you can see Olsson aiming for the one and achieving only the other. Only in the final sections, where Cecilia takes over as the narrative voice and we go to her lonely island off the coast of Sweden, does the author begin to approach simplicity. But she does so in a psychic inner monologue -- involving more silences, other deaths, and another sibling -- that makes it difficult to distinguish fact from fantasy. I did find myself moved by the end of the book -- but I would be hard put to say exactly what happens.

Timeless, Beautiful Walk through Emotions

'Sonata for Miriam' is a wonderful lyrical book, which uses multiple styles of writing (changing first-person narrative, letters) to convey the story of dealing with loss, finding ones past and unclosed love (is it ever?). Adam Anker is the main protagonist who accidentally discovers a picture in a museum which leads him to question his past which leads him to Poland although he lives in New Zealand and grew up in Sweden. In addition to this momentous event he has to deal with great personal loss and re-evaluate the priorities in his life. As the book evolves one learns of his loss, his discovery of his past, his past loves, his childhood. There are sections where one understands the behavior and responses of those who were close to him, through their own voices. While the story is a very touching beautiful story leading one back to the WW2 Krakow, it is more than anything a wonderful book exploring solitude, emotions and love. I have not read 'Astrid & Veronika' so I am not sure if the writing styles compare or even if it is a similar exploration, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered about the lives of those past, as well as tried to understand love and loss. A word of caution is that this deals with a lot of emotions and I had to take a break from it and ponder and linger on some of the feelings created during reading this book.