Sonata in Wax

As the Great War rages, a French pianist sits down to play a breathtakingly original sonata—a piece so strange and inspired that it could change the course of classical music. The moment is captured on wax cylinders, the recording medium of the day. But in the tumult of war the fragile cylinders vanish, and with them the identity of the brilliant composer and the virtuoso pianist.

A century later, five timeworn wax cylinders land on the desk of Ben Weil, a revered classical music producer. From the moment he first plays them in his Chicago studio, Ben knows he’s in the presence of genius. The dazzling piece is fifty years ahead of its time, more Coltrane than Debussy—how could it be?

Brought low by a painful divorce, Ben throws himself into unlocking the sonata’s mysteries. But when the renowned pianist Ana Clara Matta stumbles upon the work and takes credit for unearthing it, he’s swept into a lie that could shatter his reputation and his private life at a stroke. Somehow Ben must find a way to tell the truth—a dangerous quest that will lead him not only to the sonata’s surprising origins, but to his own.

Reviews

Sonata in Wax is an absolutely gorgeous novel and Edward Hamlin is an outstanding natural talent. He is so adept at capturing tone and mood on the page. I was reminded of Ian McEwan in the way that small details are used to build a big scene, and in the nuance he brings to Ben’s conflict over revealing the truth about the sonata. Sonata is a beautifully told mystery—I loved it. — Jane Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Dry

“Sonata in Wax is a terrific novel—immersive, compelling, smart, the story propelled by a cast of complex, full-bodied characters and the author’s absolute mastery of the musical worlds he conjures…I’m knocked flat with admiration for this splendid novel.” — Ben Fountain, author of Devil Makes Three

“Edward Hamlin’s Sonata in Wax features what I love best in a novel—theft, lies, betrayal, music, and a time-defying mystery—all written in Hamlin’s lyrical and captivating style. A gorgeous book, and not to be missed.” — Erika Krouse, Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation

“Sonata in Wax is pitch perfect. Like the mysterious musical composition at its heart, the novel twists and plumbs towards a tumultuous and satisfying finish. Part homage and part elegy, Sonata in Wax celebrates musical heritage, and honors the unsung heroes whose ingenuity and sacrifice help art and humanity survive.” — Rachel Swearingen, author of How to Walk on Water

Sonata in Wax is lush with music, mystery, and lyrical prose. Edward Hamlin manages to take the story of a lost sonata and transform it into a literary symphony. A wonderful debut novel! — Dominic Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

Sonata in Wax is a masterful tale of art and ambition, war and illness, desire and discovery. Exquisitely crafted and vividly attuned to the intricacies of its fascinating characters, Hamlin’s novel sweeps across a century, unfurling the secrets of a sonata that becomes at once a totem of genius and the forbidden. I’ve rarely read a novel where music is such an astounding life force of its construction. This is a beautiful book, symphonic in scale, immersive in its depths, and morally complex in vision. — Steven Schwartz, author of The Tenderest of Strings

In Edward Hamlin’s brilliant novel, past and present merge when a lost sonata’s restored beauty sheds light on the ravages of war and intergenerational trauma. Both epic and intimate, Sonata in Waxis a triumph of storytelling. — Brendan Neil Casey, author of She That Lay Silent-like Upon Our Shore