The Piano Tuner (Daniel Mason)

Daniel Mason’s debut novel asks the reader to give peace a chance. And that peace can be attained through music. This beautiful story is about a piano tuner named Edgar in London, 1886. He receives a very unusual request that leads him to the center of geopolitical conflict.

Edgar is a happily married man who is sensitive by nature and never set foot outside England or given much thought about his country’s conquests. A letter arrives from Burma’s assistant director of military operations. He is both intimidated and intrigued by the letters. The letter from the queen states that Edgar needs to travel 5000 miles to Burma.

He sets out on an adventure and takes more than a month to reach his destination and reaches Surgeon-Major Carroll, who lives deep in the darkest jungles, surrounded by man-eating tigers, poisonous snakes, tropical diseases and angry natives resisting British rule.

What would be the fate of this Piano tuner?

Mason’s story is smart and entertaining. It’s also a story of disillusionment. The story and the language is intriguing and you won’t be able to take it out of your head.

T. Singson