Daniel Mason, is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. The Piano Tuner was published before The Winter Soldier which I really enjoyed and reviewed previously, and I found it just as engrossing and even more lyrical and mysterious.

In 1886 Edgar Drake, a piano tuner, is approached by the British War Office to undertake a dangerous mission to the jungles of Burma to tune the piano of a eccentric military doctor who has proven indispensable to British interests in Southeast Asia.

Jolted out of his ordinary, middle aged, existence, by this invitation, Edgar, with the blessing of his wife, begins to make plans to go to Burma. Shy, but extremely observant, Edgar begins the long journey to a world that is strange, beautiful and cruel. Although not well versed in history or geopolitics, Edgar finds that his understanding of music provides him with unique insights and an appreciation of different cultures as he travels across continents, oceans and rivers on his way to the piano that he must repair.

Mason, who actually lived in Thailand for awhile, learned much about this area and its history. The clash between France and Britain over who would get what territory, the slow disintegration of the native governments and tribes under this onslaught becomes the backdrop against which Edgar, must travel and work. Mason deftly draws us in, as we meet the mysterious doctor who is a hero to some and to others a villain and yet seems to wield so much influence and power. At first Edgar only sees the seductive beauty of the jungle and the doctor’s altruism, but he soon realizes that there is more to the jungle than its flowers and that the doctor’s motivations are far more complicated. As he begins to unravel the mysteries that surround him, Edgar must also come to terms with the deep longings that are being revealed within himself.

Mason’s lyrical writing captures the beauty and mystery of Burma and it’s people. His characters are complicated and sympathetically portrayed and you feel drawn to them. This was a book I settled into to read and then found myself hours later, surprised to find that I was not on a river in Burma but in my bedroom at home.

Brenda’s Rating: ***** ( 5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Lauren, Keith, Sharon and Ken.

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.