The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

Bravissimo! This wonderful novel by a debut author is rich in themes that make it both an engrossing read and a great candidate for book discussion.  The book drops the reader right into the main problem: concert violinist Ray McMillian, an American contender for the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition, has his rare and exceptionally valuable Stradivarius violin stolen during a hotel stay in New York City.  Multiple issues surrounding this heist are introduced before the story then flashes back to Ray’s early years as a child deeply interested in music and in the old violin that was handed down through his great-grandfather, whose ancestor was a former slave.

If this isn’t enough to make a story, we see Ray facing all the impossibilities of following his musical dreams by the fact of his color—Black. In addition, his mother is uninterested in supporting his music lessons, his extended family is determined to sell his prized violin once discovering how valuable it is, and descendants of the original owner of the violin start harassing him for its return.  We also see how he’s treated at both his early musical gigs as well as at national and international concerts and competitions.  

The saving graces for Ray are his loving grandmother who encourages him in his musical pursuit and his college mentor who does everything possible to smooth his way in the musical world.  One of the things she provides him is an excellent education at his university, which Ray meets with fiery commitment.  The behind-the-scenes look at the making of a musician is brilliant, both in describing the technical needs of a violinist and the emotional response to various compositions that brings it all to life for the layperson.  

Coincidentally, I read this novel while also reading Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.  In a chapter in that book about how people are compartmentalized into specific boxes (whether by law or by inheritance),  it talks about how people are put onto the wrong shelf.  This very thing happens to Ray constantly throughout the novel, because a Black man is never seen as someone who is—or could be—a classical musician. Some of the most dramatic and tense scenes are where this occurs, and the author describes situations and how Ray manages to work through them.  Amazingly, these also bring out some of the best humor in the novel.  

In addition to the themes of music and racial inequality, there is also the discussion of valuable instruments, their insurance, and their sales on the black market.  When Ray’s violin is stolen and a ransom is demanded for its return, Ray takes things into his own hands to get it back, working alongside the law enforcement, in addition to law enforcement, and even without their knowledge.  This adds to the suspense.

A piece at the end describes how the author was inspired to write this novel, and it reveals why this story rings true.  I highly recommend this multilayered novel and especially to discussion groups.

It will be published by Penguin Random House on Feb. 1.  Thanks to the publisher and to Edelweiss for an advance copy.