The novel An Equal Music by Vikram Seth is a romantic story of two musicians. Michael Holme is a violinist, a member of the successful Maggiore Quartet. He has long been haunted, though, by memories of the pianist he loved and left ten years earlier, Julia McNicholl. Now Julia, married and the mother of a small child, unexpectedly reenters his life and the romance flares up once more. In opposition to the delightful background of Venice and Vienna, the two lovers brazens out the truth about themselves and their love, about the music that both unites and divides them, and about a demoralizing secret that Julia must finally disclose. With graceful, reminiscent writing and a gleaming picture of the international music scene, An Equal Music proves Vikram Seth as one of the world's most excellent and most alluring writers.
