The Violin Conspiracy

So I picked this up because it promised to be a mystery about a Stradivarius being stolen from a Black musician, and while that's DEFINITELY what this book is about, the mystery of the theft is more like a frame for the story of Ray's growth as a musician; the origins of the Stradivarius; and the many, MANY complications and dangers of being a Black classical musician. So really it's more like a bildungsroman than a mystery overall, but I think that billing it as a mystery makes it more marketable?

Regardless, as a bildungsroman and as a mystery, it's a fantastic read. I enjoy classical music and it hasn't escaped my attention that it's an overwhelmingly white world, so I can only imagine the kinds of hurdles musicians and composers of color, especially Black musicians and composers, face in that world - this on top of the myriad other injustices that come with being a Black person in the US. Slocumb writes about those instances with a sharpness and clarity that comes from personal experience - something which he admits to in the Author's Note at the end of the novel. 

Another thing I appreciated was the family aspect of Ray's life: how Black children don't always get the kind of support they might need or want to pursue less “profitable” career paths. In a way, one can't blame the family for this because of the systemic poverty that haunts many Black families and communities, and makes it so that they have to struggle to survive. The psychological damage this causes is then passed on to their children, in a cycle that can be difficult to break. 

On the other hand, though, Ray's bitterness at the way he's treated by certain members of his family is entirely familiar. This is especially true in the way his family only begins to think he's “doing something” with his life once he hits the “big time” as a musician. It's something many people who've pursued careers in creative fields will recognize, and will relate very hard to.  I know I said earlier that the mystery acts more like a frame for the bildungsroman that forms the actual heart of this novel, but I think they play very well with each other, because the bildungsroman provides you with a list of potential suspects: all the people in Ray's life who could possibly want to get their hands on the Strad, along with their potential motivations for doing so, and their potential methods. Whenever someone new comes into Ray's life, you look at them with some suspicion, even if they seem nice, because they could potentially be responsible for stealing Ray's violin. And I'll admit: I didn't guess who the real culprit was until Ray himself figured it out. It's always fun to try and guess ahead, but I also appreciate it when I don't figure it out until the precise moment the protagonist does. Of course, that only happens when the rest of the novel is also fun to read, which was definitely the case here.

So overall, an enjoyable read with a great look at what happens behind the curtains, so to speak, in the classical music world. It's also a  great look at the kind of prejudice Black classical musicians face in that same world, which they must deal with on top of the prejudice they already face in less rarefied circles.

I do wish, though, that there had been a list of all the musical pieces mentioned in the novel at the end of the book. Slocumb provides a link to a Spotify playlist on his website, but I wish there'd been a list at the end regardless.