The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher
By Janice Y. K. Lee
Viking, 2009. 328 pgs. Fiction

The Piano Teacher explores two love affairs which take place in Hong Kong, one in 1942 just as the war has begun and the other in 1952 as the aftershocks of that great conflict continue to destroy and shape lives. Claire, in 1952, has just arrived in the Orient as a newlywed. She is hired by a wealthy Chinese couple to teach piano lessons to their only daughter. It is through this connection she meets Will Truesdale and with him, she begins to explore herself and understand a darker side of human nature. Will had arrived in Hong Kong a decade earlier in an equally naïve state that was to be destroyed and darkened by the war as he learns what courage is and what survival can cost.

This was a fast and interesting read. While none of the characters are especially endearing or even likeable, they are so honest and real in their weaknesses that you care what happens to them. The Piano Teacher also presents a side of World War II that few people know much about. The interment of British and American expatriates who had been residing in Hong Kong when the Japanese took up occupation is a dark and fascinating backdrop for this story. This is definitely not a “happy, feel good” read, but very interesting and worth considering.

CZ