The Miniaturist

Title: The Miniaturist (Goodreads link)
Author: Jessie Burton
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: July 2014
My Rating: 2 on 5

The Miniaturist is set against the backdrop of the Dutch Golden Age and is about a young woman, Nella Oortman, who marries a wealthy merchant, Johannes Brandt, and moves to Amsterdam. Nella’s marital life has a rocky start as she finds her husband often on long travels and when he is around hardly pays any attention to her. She feels trapped in a house which is supposed to be hers but is being run by Marin, Johannes’s sister. Johannes presents Nella with a cabinet-sized replica of their house as a wedding gift, and she reaches out to a miniaturist to furnish it. The story takes an interesting turn here as the miniaturist’s creations begin to mirror reality. As Nella struggles to come to terms with her fruitless marriage and her crushed dreams, she is shocked as dark secrets about the family are revealed.

The author does a brilliant job of creating a beautiful vibe and atmosphere of Amsterdam of the old times. The author paints a vivid picture of the city’s social life, hierarchy, and simple, yet complex lives the people led. The author uses this book to educate readers about a few Dutch words, dishes and culture. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the characters. I didn’t find any of the characters credible – Nella, being just eighteen seems too wise for her age, which is unbelievable especially since she was copped in a small village with little exposure to the outside world. Marin, who is supposedly overly religious but goes on to commit one of the gravest sins. But the biggest disappointment is the lack of clarity on who the miniaturist is and how she is able to predict future incidents. The mystery around miniaturist keeps the reader going to know who the miniaturist is but the ending is a major let down.

Despite the flaws of the book, it reads well. There are a few memorable quotes which I treasure.

Growing older, does not seem to make you more certain. It simply presents you with more reasons for doubt.

A lifetime isn’t enough to know how a person will behave.

Pity, unlike hate, can be boxed and put away.

Every woman is the architect of her own fortune.

Even though the book was a disappointment to me, some of these quotes will remain with me. The book was not a complete disappointment after all.