The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason

I saved this book from being put in a rubbish bin.  I’m so pleased I did.   It is 1886 and Edgar Drake has been summoned by her Majesty’s Government to go to Burma to tune a rare Erard grand piano.  The piano is owned by the infamous surgeon-major Anthony Carroll.  As Drake embarks on his voyage, leaving behind his beloved wife Katherine, he learns much about himself.  His eyes are opened by the journey, by the Burmese and by an exotic elusive woman called Khin Myo.  Drake is very much out of his comfort zone and It is not long before he feels a changed man.  Daniel Mason’s writing is evocative of Burma at a time of British colonial power. His writing is gentle, yet compelling. I particularly liked the penultimate paragraph where Drake’s memories of both the women he loved merge under the image of a parasol.  The book stayed with me long after I had finished it.  I’ve just found out he has written a second book, A Far Country, which I will add to my reading list!