The Miniaturist

Blurb

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam-a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion-a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery in the tradition of Emma Donoghue Sarah Waters and Sarah Dunant There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed On a brisk autumn day in 1686 eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt But her new home while splendorous is not welcoming Johannes is kind yet distant always locked in his study or at his warehouse office-leaving Nella alone with his sister the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin But Nellas world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift a cabinet-sized replica of their home To furnish her gift Nella engages the services of a miniaturist-an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways Johannes gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household But as she uncovers its unusual secrets she begins to understand-and fear-the escalating dangers that await them all In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation or the architect of their destructionEnchanting beautiful and exquisitely suspenseful The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession betrayal and retribution appearance and truth