An Equal Music, a song about love that wanted to fail
Review of a novel by Vikram Seth
“How many seconds or weeks after seeing me…did I survive her thoughts?”
A story about love and music could probably be best told with love and music. An Equal Music is an invitation to find love in the absence of it. It is romantic, the epicenter being the thread of love shared between two people, separated by choice, ignorance and time. Although it starts and ends on the same note, the story is a soft read with characters that are interesting yet not engrossing. It talks of undying love, great romance and unfulfilled intimacy. However, the book feels unnatural in love, and I felt that I was reading a story of someone being uncomfortable in love. I presumed that’s how the protagonist felt, though as the book progressed, I was further confused about the direction of the story and the heart of the protagonist. By the end I realized it was not just a story of two lovers, but two flawed lovers. Both musicians, they shared a tremendous understanding and passion, but lacked conviction of being madly in love, as they would say often.
It is encouraging to read a story that is made of characters you probably cross every day. People of passions do face conflict in following the general acceptable paths laid out by the society, and thus, I was happy reading about a quartet working very hard on making beautiful-soulful music and somehow, by good luck and efforts, making ends meet. I didn’t sense a dissatisfaction from the musical profession, nor was the focus close to the struggles of being a musician. An Equal Music started about love, and remained about love. It still felt bland, the scenario of love was more out of longing and regret than simply the joy of being in it. The entire story is very believable yet has several places where decisions appear to be wrong and destructive. It got me reading about two estranged lovers, yet not root for them. I can’t recall how often that happens, but An Equal Music shared some light in the unreasonable demands of love. Was it even love, or simply a fond memory of it? No answers exist in this book. It a story, a very simple complicated-unsatisfying story.
Reading this book requires at least basic understanding of classical music. Names of instruments, compositions and groups could be distracting and slightly intimidating for someone lacking the know-hows of music. The quartet has four characters, three men (including the protagonist) and one woman. I personally could only admire the cello-player the most, for he seemed most joyous in his ecosystem. The others were clearly people who had issues, deeply rooted issues that they all accepted as character traits instead of problems. The love interest is a reasonable woman doing unreasonable things, leading a double life. She is so conflicted throughout the book that it affects the story, and has a negative impact on the protagonist as well. He does things that are contrary to his words. While she spends her time trying to make peace with her situation, he keeps on waiting, until he decides not to. In many ways, this book is true to how people behave. Yet this is not how people should behave. By the end, I was left with a good story, yet a weak emotion of hope or joy, or even love. Reaching the last page was not sad, and I did not long for more. I enjoyed the writing tremendously, for it was melodic and charming. That seemed enough to still enjoy the book. The story was otherwise a never-ending loop of actions and consequences. For the most part of the book, the two lovers in the book were living a repetition of their own past.
This book should be read once, enjoyed and admired for the writing and the beauty of a well knitted story of music and love.
Admire it. Return it.
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