REVIEW: The Miniaturist (Jessie Burton)

Book: The Miniaturist

Author: Jessie Burton

My rating: 2.5/5.

Premise: In 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives at a grand house in Amsterdam to begin her new life as the wife of wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt. Though curiously distant, he presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations ring eerily true. As Nella uncovers the secrets of her new household she realiszes the escalating dangers they face. The miniaturist seems to hold their fate in her hands - but does she plan to save or destroy them?

The story follows Nella as she tries to fit into her new life as a wife in Amsterdam and her trying to untangle the many secrets within her new home. Throughout the book we see the characters suffer under 17th century attitudes towards race, women and sexuality. I found it interesting to see the difference between Dutch and English attitudes of the time. For example, in Amsterdam it's fine for women to go out by themselves, whereas in England it'd be a scandal. The main disappointment I had with the book was the subplot involving the miniaturist herself. This bit of the story didn't quite feel resolved and I was left with loads of questions. A good book but not quite what the blurb led me to believe.