The Music Teacher

by: Barbara Hall

Published by: Algonquin Books

Reviewed by Maria Elmvang

I’ll say it straight out – this is not your ordinary book. If you come looking for a traditional plot with a climax and a resolution, you’ll be disappointed. The Music Teacher has neither. Instead it has characterisations, thoughts, memories and most importantly, atmosphere.

Pearl Swain really wanted to be a professional violinist, but she started taking lessons too late, and thus never moved beyond “pretty good.” Instead she works at a music shop, and gives lessons to other hopefuls with the dream of finding at least one student who’ll head towards a more successful future. She thinks she has found such a student in Hallie Bolaris – a moody teenager to whom music seems to come as easily as breathing comes to the rest of us. But as Hallie in turns confides in Pearl–and then pushes her away, Pearl starts to suspect she is hiding a dreadful secret.

Contrary to what I originally thought, the story of Hallie isn’t the focal point of The Music Teacher, and the lack of a resolution is frustrating. Instead Hallie is used to set the rest of Pearl’s life into perspective, and cast a light on some of the choices she makes.

I have a hard time deciding what I think of the book. My first impression wasn’t too favorable, as I couldn’t figure out what Barbara Hall wanted to convey to her readers through her words. The lack of plot threw me off. But after having thought about it for a while, I’m beginning to think that this was her intention. This was never meant to be a cut-and-dried tale with a definite beginning and end, but instead a brief look into another person’s life – a life we may or may not be able to relate to, but which demands to be noticed. Pearl is fascinated by biographies, and here we are given a few chapters of hers.

The Music Teacher is somewhat out of my comfort zone, as I tend to prefer having my questions answered, but it’s undoubtedly a book that will stay with me for awhile, and I’m finding it harder to ”˜shake it’ than I thought I would.

Armchair Interviews says: Maybe not for everyone, but the reader will be affected by the story.