Review: The Piano Teacher

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POSTED: 17 JAN 09

Janice Y.K. Lee, The Piano Teacher

(Harper Press; 304pp paperback; $32.99)

The Piano Teacher is a story of love and betrayal, set in Hong Kong before, during and after the Japanese occupation of the colony during World War II. The plot swings back and forth between the periods, slowly revealing the intertwining stories of the main characters from times of pre-war colonial decadence, to wartime brutality, and then the traumatic personal aftermath.

It is 1952 when the story opens and Claire Pendleton, a repressed, inexperienced and unsophisticated English woman is relocated as a new bride to the mysterious Far East. She is clearly out of her depth and — just as first-time author, Janice Y.K. Lee says she felt growing up in a Korean household in Hong Kong ... out of place. Claire's husband, Martin, is a public water engineer and is often away, leaving Claire lonely and feeling dislocated.

Claire's unease manifests into kleptomania when she is hired by wealthy society leaders Melody and Victor Chen to teach piano to their daughter, Locket, and she purloins expensive trinkets. But this is the least of Claire's problems, as she becomes bewitched by Will Truesdale, a troubled and troubling man, and they begin a clandestine affair.

The reasons for Will's callous treatment of Claire become clearer as we read of his passionate and exuberant colonial life with the beautiful and enigmatic Trudy Liang, and then of Trudy's collaboration with the venal and unscrupulous Otsubo, head of the Japanese military police. Graphic and lurid descriptions of the internment, torture and the privation of British citizens in Stanley prison for the duration of the war further explain Will's present despondency.

Add to that the mystery of the priceless Crown Collection, its whereabouts, and who betrayed its secrets, and you have a great read.

The story is well researched and well written, with sustained suspense and interest to the end. As an historical romance, it stands up well.

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