Book Review: The Miniaturist

Ok, so I'll start by admitting I'm a little late to the party with this one, but I read The Miniaturist on my holidays and OH MY GOSH! What a book! 

Honestly, my first thoughts didn't go much further than 'this is weird'. Unlike most people, I read the prologue (which is worth reading at the end of the novel too, everything makes much more sense then) and it involved a miniature house, a woman and a grave. Yep. Good start.

Obviously, I read on as the prologue had filled me with intrigue and expectation; I really wanted to see where this strange start would take me. Set in 17th Century Amsterdam, this is a novel which covers ground, that, to the best of my knowledge anyway, isn't a widely covered period of time in fictional writing. The story of a young girl, Nella Oortman, who marries to escape from poverty is the basis of this strange and compelling novel, but it soon takes a very different turn to how you imagine.

Despite this being Jessie Burton's debut novel, it is a sure sign she is one to watch in the future! Her novel is incredibly well written, using such beautiful and powerful language to tell such a heartbreaking tale. Although I wasn't originally sure that it would be the kind of book I know I like to read (I usually like happy endings for a holiday read) I was so intrigued by what would happen that it would have been rude to ignore the copy sitting on my shelf for much longer.

I love historical fiction, and although I'm not sure whether this falls into that typical category, the novel comments on so many historically perpetual themes that it was hard for me to shy away from loving it. Burton successfully covers race, gender, relationships, class, and attitudes towards work, identifying with them in both historical and modern relevance.

In case you've not picked up on it yet, I can't wait to see what Burton creates next. I'm going to compare her a little to Harper Lee, in that she is a gift to the literary world. Like Harper Lee, Burton is skilled and imaginative enough to create a magical plot full of suspense but one which simultaneously comments on social issues. It takes a beautiful writer to achieve that, and I would love to see The Miniaturist become a classic in years to come.

Have you read The Miniaturist? Did you love it as much as I did?

Thanks for reading x

P.S. I've also just been reading Jessie's blog on her website, and it's just as beautifully written as her debut novel. If I could write half as well as Burton, I would be an incredibly happy girl! The link is here if you would like to see it for yourself: http://www.jessieburton.co.uk/the-miniaturist---the-road-to-publication.html