The Miniaturist: Can it live up to the hype?
Jessie Burton’s debut novel is set in 1686 Amsterdam when Calvinism was the dominant religion. It begins with 18-year-old Nella Oortman arriving at the grand house of her new husband, the wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt. It becomes clear that the marriage is an arranged one, and that Nella finds herself increasingly uncomfortable in her new surroundings.
Her new husband does not come to her bed at night, but instead lavishes her with an expensive gift: a large dolls house, and replica of his own home. Calvinism forbade dolls or replicas of the human body in any form which means Nella struggles to know what to do with her new gift. She commissions a miniaturist to create furniture and other trinkets for her new dolls house, and begins to grow curious as to how the miniaturist knows quite so much about her and the other members of the household. She realises she is living in a web of secrets.
The vivid setting and style of The Miniaturist are instantly engaging, and it is clear that Burton has put a great deal of research into her first novel. What is instantly noticeable about Burton’s work is her exceptional use of language, and the way she manages to successfully weave between the past and present. Ultimately it’s the characters which fall slightly short: their motivation is not clear which makes it hard for the reader to trust their actions.
The novel comes highly hyped up, having sealed a fantastic publishing deal and henceforth being translated into 30 different languages, but for all its brilliance and originality, it falls short of convincing the reader. Nella, the main character, is overly modern to the point that she would suit a more contemporary setting, the plot twists and turns have a slightly unbelievable quality to them, and several aspects seem contextually inaccurate.
The result is a novel with the basis for a brilliant read, but which lacks the tension and depth to really take the reader there.