Book Review: The Forgery of Venus

Think about the time-honored celebrity status of jewel thieves in books and movies. Aren't they typically romantic characters, admired for their cleverness, and intending physical harm to no one?

Here's my book review of The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber.

The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber (William Morrow)

Gruber's writing style has a voice, and right away that puts him at the top of my list. Besides the plotting, which goes back and forth in time in ways I've never experienced in a book, The Forgery of Venus fascinates in two other ways – its meticulous description of painting technique and its depiction of mental illness. Peter Carey's Theft, which I also enjoyed, also has these two elements. The neurological issues are reminiscent of another masterpiece novel, The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, which I reviewed in a previous post.

The protagonist of this novel is Chaz Wilmont, an accomplished fine arts painter. He's a brilliant technician but insecure about his creativity. His insecurity is rooted in the emotional abuse he received from his father, who was also a famous painter and intensely jealous of his son.

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