"Inhale the scent of a forest close by. I can smell the earthy fragrance of autumn as night falls, the leaves gently rustling. I can feel the damp air of dusk descending."
I bought this book when its cover and title drew my attention on Book Depository. The synopsis seemed interesting as well, along with its high praise. Coupled with my wish to expand my reading list - usually the western writers are more popular among the book reading community. It's an award winning book by a Japanese writer. And it's about music, which I love - so what could go wrong?
Well, a lot, actually. I did not particularly enjoy this this book. I tried, I really did, but it just was not for me. It's about a piano tuner and a lot - well, most - of its pages are dedicated to technical descriptions of the inner workings of a piano. I almost felt like I was reading a sort of a poetic instruction manual.
Tomura, the protagonist fell in love with piano tuning at seventeen, when he heard a tuner working on a school piano. He then went to school and worked hard for two years, which later led him back to the company the inspiring piano tuner works in as well. We are led through some of his customers and endless meandering on the subtle art of tuning a piano. This is what the title refers to, by the way - under the lid of a piano, there is a forest of wool and steel that one must synchronize with the player in order to achieve the most perfect sound.
That's it, that's what the book is about. Now, I'm reluctant to say it's a bad book - it just wasn't for me. I feel as if only a person with knowledge of pianos, whether as a player or tuner - can truly appreciate what this book is telling them. I love piano music but have never had the opportunity to learn to play it, that might be why this meditative novel was something I just slogged through.
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