Iain Pears
The Portrait (2005)
Author: Iain Pears
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Detective)
Plot Summary:
Art critic William Nasmyth and painter Henry MacAlpine shared a close but troubled friendship in the Paris and London art scenes of the early 1900Õs. The critic was a wealthy and arrogant aesthete, the painter a struggling, eager protˇgˇ. Rivalries and resentments between the two escalated until, amid strange events that included two apparent suicides within their circle of friends, the painter mysteriously fled the art world while at the height of his success. Now, eight years later, Nasmyth has traveled to the secluded channel island of Houat in order to sit for a portrait by MacAlpine. To NasmythÕs surprise he finds himself immediately undermined by his passive role as the painterÕs subject. Before long, it becomes clear that MacAlpine intends to use the torturously long sitting as a platform for airing his grievances. With deliberate menace the painter leaps form one reminiscence to the next, uncovering a number of NasmythÕs petty misdeeds and hinting, with increasing candor, at some great villainous act he intends to divulge. In a sort of reversal of the traditional detective story, we know who done it before we know the offense committed. The reader is given all the clues he or she needs to piece together the nature of the criticÕs crimes, yet it is still a shock when MacAlpine finally presents his proof of murder. The crime revealed, there is still one more twist in the final pages when MacAlpine expresses, with vicious precision, his plan to make sure Nasmyth does not leave the island of Houat alive.
Geographical Setting: The Channel Islands, London and Paris
Time Period: 1900-1912
Appeal Characteristics:
The Portrait is an interesting variation on the traditional first person narrative of the mystery novel. The story is told in a monologue directed, not at the audience, but at the art critic as he sits for his portrait. This gives the novel a strong literary feel and produces some curious effects. For one, it ramps up the pacing of the novel. Because the painter is talking with an old friend about shared experiences, he rarely attempts to set scenes or give unnecessary detail. Instead the narrative is allowed to jump from one setting and timeframe to another and back again, with the same ease it would in an everyday conversation. Of course, this has itÕs negative side. The setting of the remote channel islands is nicely sketched, but only because the painter means to intimidate the critic by reminding him of how isolated they are. Meanwhile, the cities of London and Paris, where most of the action actually takes place, are hardly distinguishable. For the two main figures the characterization is superb. A large part of the novel is given over to the contrasting psychologies of artist and critic, and one of its chief thematic elements is the way in which the painterÕs monologue about the critic corresponds to the act of portrait painting. Naturally, much of the painterÕs character is revealed by his voice, which gives the novel a snarky, learned tone that is in itself highly entertaining. There are some minor characters (a couple of failed painters and an artistÕs model, in particular) that are perfectly believable, if not heavily filled-in. The novel's historical setting too, is believable if not detailed. ItÕs as if we are getting a purely psychological portrait of the earliest days of modern art, when differences in theory and taste, or the ambition to be cutting edge could divide friends or maybe even push individuals to murder; but, for all itÕs depth of analysis, The Portrait does not give us much of a sensual description of those days.
Read-alikes: In The Painter of Battles by Arturo Perez-Reverte, a war photographer is confronted and threatened by the subject of one of his most famous photographs. It shares obvious thematic ties with The Portrait, and also features a finely drawn isolated setting. The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Michael Cox is set about 60 years before The Portrait and has a much more deliberate pacing meant to imitate Dickens and Wilkie Collins. Yet, itÕs unreliable first person narration, psychological insight into itÕs historical setting, and thematic focus on obsession and revenge should appeal to some readers of The Portrait. Ex Libris by Ross King is a historical mystery about a 17th century book hunter. As in The Portrait, it draws much of itÕs appeal from the narrators distinctive voice, even if that voice is a little more tame and less self-assured. It also features a carefully drawn psychological portrait of a particular historical setting, in this case the intellectuals torn by religious schisms of the 17th century. Anyone who liked Iain PearsÕ playful use of narrative and wants to try something a little more experimental might be interested in Jennifer EganÕs The Keep. It is about a millionaire who invites an old friend to stay with him in a German castle he recently purchased. It turns out that not all was well with their friendship and, likewise, not all goes well with their visit. Like The Portrait its characterization is focused on two main figures rehashing a mysterious past, plus it features an eerily realized remote setting. Although The Portrait is set a couple decades after Oscar WildeÕs The Picture of Dorian Gray, the atmosphere of the two books is strikingly similar. The two novels share a number of common themes and concerns. Anyone who enjoyed the heady portrayal of artists struggling with big ideas, or even just PearsÕ snarky, witty tone, are bound to find both of those qualities exemplified by Wilde. EstherÕs Inheritance by Sandor Marai is another novel about two characters coming together after a long separation. This time it is a Hungarian woman named Esther who lost the love of her life, a charming con-man named Lajos, to her own younger sister. Now years after they last saw each other and with little sister long dead, Lajos has returned. This is another unreliable first person narrative, with a strong literary tone, a quick pace, and thorough characterization of its two main figures.
Red Flags: There are a couple brief descriptions of sex and violence, but most of it takes place off the page.
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