This novel is a first person narrative from a young-ish man who must find himself a wife lest he lose his position as a Sekretaire - an exciseman. Emil Larsson supplements his income by conducting under-the-table deals with smugglers and gambling. The answer to all his troubles arrives when he is offered an opportunity to have an Octavo read by the owner of his preferred gambling house. The Octavo - a tarot spread that does not answer one's question, rather it helps to identify the 7 individual who will affect the answer through their involvement in the questioner's life.
Life is never easy, and while Emil searches for the 7 individuals who will control his fate, the nobility is in fear of spreading revolutions, while the Swedish king is contemplating a more democratic approach to government. Thus begin conflicting conspiracies disguised by fans and scarves, but who ends up the winner is never truly certain, and Emil only cares about finding himself the perfect partner.
Credit is due to the author for weaving the use of fans to communicate, the concept of a Divine Geometry, news of revolutions as a fabric for love. This alone provides for an intriguing tale, however I did find that the initial set up for the story - an investigation seemed to be lost in their midst. I found it a bit difficult to separate the 'investigator' Emil from the 'participant' Emil. As a result, I often had to put the book down and over think the chapters I'd just read. This isn't to say that it's a bad book. On the contrary, I think it's a wonderful story, but one that requires the reader to be significantly more engaged than they might wish.
Having said that, if the reader is seeking an intricate fiction regarding King Gustav III of Sweden's death, then this should appeal. As noted above, the approach with the tarot is less about future divination than it is a catalyst for inspiration and motivation, rather than prophesising the future.
I will admit that I was also quite happy to see the octavo drawings included as I could not visualise them on my own. I had some vague idea, but to keep track of eight cards, who they represent for each of the octavos discussed simply would have been messy without the added support. Greedy as it might sound, it would have also been nice to have been able to see Cassiopeia as well as I still do not understand the shape. I never was any good at geometry.
Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment