Virtuoso
"This striking debut novel is inspired by the real-life Australian pianist Noel Mewton-Wood, and vividly evokes the music world of London in the 1940s and 50s. The unnamed narrator, a young music student, idolises Noel from the moment he first sees him on the concert platform during the war. When they finally meet, on the narrator's 17th birthday, they quickly become lovers. For the younger man, this is a sublime, overwhelming passion. But it soon becomes apparent that for Noel, this is just another, though very pleasant, affair. As the years pass, and the narrator deals with the demons of his past and the crippling pain that thwarts his own musical ambitions, he continues to mix in the same circles as Noel - always carrying the memory of their affair and the possibility of rekindling it. But while the narrator sees Noel's career as one of unimpeded success and brilliance, the truth is rather different, and when Noel faces a major crisis, the one who has loved him for so long is forced to confront a shattering truth ..."--Provided by publisher.
