MAestro
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Is Maestro a gloomy novel?
It is an undisputed fact that Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy is a beautifully crafted coming of age story. However unlike many other coming of age novels, Peter Goldsworthy has dared to create a story, which produces more questions than it does answers, and he does not attempt to sugar coat life's harsh realities. It is for this reason that Maestro is classified as a gloomy novel. The Heinemann dictionary defines 'gloomy' as a state of depression or hopelessness. It is these two emotions and those of betrayal and alienation that appear consistently throughout the novel. Maestro contains two interweaving stories: that of Paul Crabbe and his difficult transition from adolescent to man and that of Eduard Keller, the ex-concert pianist obsessed with perfection whose bleak outlook on life point to a troubled past. From the first page when the reader is brought face to face with the maestro's alcoholic addiction to the final page where Paul critically evaluates his life and its meaning there is a constant gloomy theme. Though cynical humour is often used, the underlying message is that of a failed life and the never-ending search for perfection.
Throughout Maestro, betrayal is a constant theme that greatly contributes to the gloomy feel of the novel...