Thursday, February 16, 2023

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Musician by Heloisa Prieto

 


Full Disclosure: This book was read as an e-ARC Audiobook (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on December 13, 2022 in exchange for a potential review. I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Musician is a novel written by Brazilian Author Heloisa Prieto. It's a short novel, and is inspired by close contact Prieto has had since childhood with the Indigenous Guarani people of Brazil. The story features a musician who is seemingly on the autism spectrum and who also can see musical spirits...and whose gifts seem to connect him to others who can feel the spirits. And when a rich privileged professor, who seems to be a cult leader and maybe something more sinister, lures him to his mansion, those others - led by a Guarani girl - have to act to try to save him.

It's a short story with veins of horror at times in the actions of its villain, with some decent themes, although it has one trope which we probably should be moving past these days in how it treats an autistic person as a "Savant" in part due to his own condition. A solid read nevertheless.

More specifics after the jump:

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts - nothing superfluous here, but as backstory and as part of the mental manipulations of the antagonist.

---------------------------------Plot Summary-------------------------------
Thomas was orphaned as a child by a car accident, but has always grown up in the company of musical spirits that seemingly only he can see. Those spirits guided him in his learning and playing of music, which carries him through life.

But when one day he goes to a fountain to play music on his guitar, he comes into contact with others who can sense at least these spirits - Forest Girl Marlui, who can seemingly see them and influence them, boys André and Miguel, who are able to connect to him in dreams and draw them, and even their mother, scriptwriter Gabriella. It's a company Thomas feels at home with and never could have expected.

But there are two others there whom Thomas can't look away from: a Professor Dr. Alonso and his beautiful daughter Dora, who offer him a chance to come back with them and see a rare lute. Captivated for some reason he goes back with them...but Dr. Alonso has sinister intentions for Thomas and his gift, and Thomas may not be able to shake free of his own bewitchment in time to get away....unless his kindred spirits who he'd never met until just a day before can work together to save him....
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The author (Prieto) of this book is not indigenous herself, but admits in the afterword of how much this book is inspired by both her own growing up with a father who was close to the Guarani people and from talking with Daniel Munduruku, an indigneous author who wrote a book about some of their traditions. Prieto has apparently translated and curated books about such traditions before writing this one, but here is attempting to give homage to their traditions about the spirits and ways of living life based upon these influences.

And while the basics of this plot and its themes are well, basic - the indigneous Forest people here have a clear better understanding of nature and how to connect to the spirits to have something more than the privileged cult leader professor who just wants to steal from those with such gifts - the writing of it and how those people see things in a better way is done in a way that feels real and particular. You can see Prieto's work at understanding and expressing these traditions and beliefs through her characcters - although as always, I cannot judge if she gets anything wrong here, as is always a danger with a non-indigneous character writing indigenous ones. And even though Prieto's underlying themes are basic and done before, she makes clear to avoid certain pitfalls of older books - for example, the Forest people here have and are fully aware of modern technology, even as they embrace the spirits and the multiple worlds they see through their traditions.

There isn't however a ton here of depth, and characters meet the protagonist Thomas, are immediately entranced with him, and well he with them - especially Marlui - without really any character development. This is a short novel, almost a novella, so there's little room for that, but it does feel like things happen really abruptly. More annoyingly, the book plays up the savant trope that mistakenly assumes someone who is autistic is naturally gifted - and even quotes that trope by name - which is a discredited trope for a reason. Thomas is a very enjoyable protagonist who you will easily care for, but the use of his autistic traits is not done very well.

Still, there's enough here in its themes and its portrayal of indigenous South American ideals against colonizing thieving ideals for The Musician to work and be worth reading, even if it never has enough depth to really stand out too much.

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