Virtuoso

Virtuoso is a stylistic piece of literary fiction that circles around the lives of a number of women. Jana's Czech childhood was interrupted by raven-haired Zorka, a whirlwind who then disappeared. Jana is now an interpreter in Paris for a Czech medical company, where she meets Aimée, who is mourning the death of her wife. And in an internet chatroom, an American girl plots to rescue a Czech housewife from her husband.

Dreamlike in its narrative and in many of its descriptions, the novel moves between the stories and perspectives in a way that, surprisingly, mostly isn't that confusing. When it is confusing, it feels like part of the style and the way that the fluctuations make the boundaries uncertain. The pace can sometimes be slow and sometimes fast, which again makes it feel like a series of dreams. The characters, particularly Jana and Zorka, are engaging, though at times it feels like you drift away from them and then return.

The artsy quality of Virtuoso, created through its style and interconnected narratives, will mean it isn't for everyone. However, this is what makes it stand out, and it manages to make the characters' narratives gripping even when it isn't clear where anything is going.

Virtuoso was certainly a fascinating piece of literature. It had a dreamlike quality that pulled me in and kept me turning the pages. The prose was beautiful and lyrical, and I loved the raw yet emotional portrayal of the women in the cast. This is a novel that requires concentration as we weave from one story to the next and back again, but I enjoyed piecing everything together. This is a book with plenty to say that will leave you pondering for days after you close the final page. That said, I did struggle with the ending. I had expected things to come together a little more cohesively than they did, and I still had a lot of unanswered questions, especially regarding the chatroom romance. Still, it was certainly an exciting introduction to a new-to-me author, and I hope to read more of Yelena Moskovich's work in the future.

Definitely written in a unique and interesting style, with mesmerising and flowing prose; I can see why it has been compared to the dreamy qualities of Lynchian films.