The University of Idaho Argonaut

A book about a bitter, cynical violinist should carry no public resonance with anyone but a classical music fanatic.

With lots of music terms and references to virtuosic violin pieces that only a music major would understand, the book “An Equal Music” by Vikram Seth should have been a washout.
Instead, Seth filled this book with poetic descriptions and uniquely dark characters that bring about an unexpected emotional response in any reader.

Michael Holme is a depressed violinist wasting away in a small apartment in London, bitterly teaching to make ends meet and playing with the famous Maggiore Quartet to maintain his sanity.
Holme is haunted by the beautiful pianist he loved 10 years earlier, Julia McNicholl, around whom there are several elements of mystery.

Some unknowns are revealed once Holme tracks McNicholl down after several agonizing mental breakdowns.

He finds that she is married with a small child, but it is not until the end of the book that the most devastating secret about the pianist is spilled.

Once they re-unite, McNicholl agrees to tour Vienna and Venice with Holme and the Maggiore Quartet, an eclectic group of musicians that add spice to the book with their quirky character traits.

Holme struggles with the meaning of his life, while McNicholl is lost between what is convenient, what is right and what she actually wants from life.

The plot seems like it is targeting a very small audience of elitist music lovers, but it is surprisingly captivating and pulls readers in with an astoundingly potent choice of diction.

Seth narrates with poetic poignancy, describing Holmes looking out over a lake as, “Susurrus, susurrus, the wind in the poplars, electric-pitched. The ice shifts like a skin upon the ripples of the pond, and the swans move lightly on the winter water.”

In his prologue, Seth admits he has no musical background and plays no musical instrument, which is possibly why the book is still appealing to many.
“An Equal Music” is melancholy and tragic, but in a beautiful way.

This book is an in-depth look at the intimacy of music and the effects it has on those who create it. But more than that, it is about people learning to understand themselves and find meaning in their own lives.