Virtuoso by Yelena Moskovich
Marked by an uneasy sense of the surreal and a slow sensation of dread, Virtuoso is a challenging – but rewarding – read
Paranoia is in the air of Prague. Born into communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, Jana’s childhood is a lonely one until she meets the raven-haired, furious Zorka. Just as the two girls begin to realise that life exists outside the city’s walls, their friendship is cut short when Zorka disappears. Years later, Jana is living in Paris as an interpreter when she receives a mysterious note from a man claiming he knew her childhood friend. Meanwhile, Aimée is in Paris after the death of her wife, and her life soon becomes interwoven with Jana’s. Then a third, seemingly unrelated, narrative that takes place entirely in a lesbian chatroom begins to punctuate the European storyline.
A queering of both the mystery genre and fairytales, Virtuoso is Yelena Moskovich’s follow up to The Natashas. Readers of that debut will know what to expect stylistically from Moskovich: short, episodic chapters; an uneasy sense of the surreal; and a slow sensation of dread. As Moskovich pulls us deeper into her literary labyrinth, questions are met with more questions and puzzle pieces don’t seem to quite fit together. Suddenly you’ll realise Moskovich has disappeared and you’ve been left to figure it out alone. If you’re not up to the challenge, maybe give this one a miss. If you are, you’ll love Virtuoso.
Serpent's Tail, 17 Jan, £14.99