Resumo de The Secret - Enquist, Anna

The Secret
Three storylines run through The Secret, like themes in a symphony, sometimes merging, sometimes overlapping, and sometimes going in different directions: this is the story of Wanda Wierickhe, the story of her past and the story of Bouw, the man she left. Concert pianist Wanda Wiericke sees music as a way of escaping reality. It is her answer to questions about her place in the world. When forced to choose, she leaves her husband for it. But when her mother literally spits up the secret on her deathbed, Wanda is no longer able to withdraw into her music. A rheumatic disorder prevents her from playing: she does not touch a piano again until she has come to terms with her past. Enquist offers no easy solutions. The book?s climax does not come with the revelation of the secret, but in the process of coming to terms with it. The Secret has been translated by Jeannette K. Ringold; it was originally published in 1997 as Het Geheim.
About the Author
ANNA ENQUIST is a musician, a psychoanalyst, a poet and a novelist. One of the best-loved writers of her native Holland, she is also a best-selling author in Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden and Austria. Her first collection of poetry won the award for new Dutch poetry - the prestigious C. Buddingh' prize - and has been followed by four more collections of poetry, all of which have gone back to press frequently. Her novels have achieved similar acclaim; The Masterpiece, The Secret and Ice Carriers all proved to be runaway bestsellers, each with over 250,000 copies sold. The Secret won the 1997 Dutch Readers' Prize. All are available from The Toby Press

The Secret (Het geheim)
Music as a restful haven?this is the theme we encounter in both Anna Enquist?s poetry and in her novels. Her first novel, Het meesterstuk (The Masterpiece), followed the storyline of Mozart?s Don Giovanni, and her second novel, Het geheim (The Secret), is composed and conducted like a piece of music. Three storylines run through the book like themes in a composition, sometimes merging, sometimes overlapping, and sometimes going in completely different directions: the story of Wanda, the story of her past and the story of Bouw, the man she left. Concert pianist Wanda Wiericke sees music as a way of escaping reality. It is her answer to questions about her place in the world: An answer in which the question dissolves. It is so important to her that, when forced to choose, she even leaves her husband for it. But after Wanda?s mother literally spits up the secret on her deathbed, Wanda is no longer able to withdraw into music. A rheumatic disorder prevents her from playing. She is forced to face the facts, and retreats to the Pyrenees, where she doesn?t touch a piano again until she has come to terms with her past. Everything in Het geheim is interwoven with piano playing; also the imagery is derived from music. Bouw is described as Schumann?s toccata: strong, compact, overflowing with power. Enquist originally trained as a pianist and everything she says about piano playing also applies to her writing. She writes the way Wanda plays: entering a composition by touch, prepared to wander in any direction, ready to find meaning in the most unlikely places. Enquist?s novel is a quest for insight, it works towards a catharsis. She offers no easy solutions. The book?s climax doesn?t come with the revelation of the secret, but in the process of coming to terms with it.
QUOTES
Enquist calls things by name. She writes resolutely, her sentences are rock-solid, and she never lets the pace slacken. It is the voice of a writer who knows exactly where she?s going.
Hans Goedkoop, NRC Handelsblad
Composed with a great deal of carefree intelligence.
Jaap Goedegebuure, HP/De Tijd
A full-blooded music novel.
Rob Schouten, Trouw

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