In 1886 a shy, middle-aged piano tuner named Edgar Drake receives an unusual commission from the British War Office: to travel to the remote jungles of northeast Burma and there repair a rare piano belonging to an eccentric army surgeon who has proven mysteriously indispensable to the imperial design. From this irresistible beginning, The Piano Tuner launches its protagonist into a world of seductive loveliness and nightmarish intrigue. And as he follows Drake’s journey, Mason dazzles readers with his erudition, moves them with his vibrantly rendered characters, and enmeshes them in the unbreakable spell of his storytelling.
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This crept up on me. There seemed to be a lot of over-explanation at the beginning, and I nearly gave up, but I'm so glad I continued. After the first 50 pages or so of scene-setting and background information, the book moved on to vivid descriptions of Victorian London, the journey to Burma, and the sights and sounds of Mandalay and the Shan States. All of the characters are believable and the story unfolds in a fascinating way. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a bit of escapism.