"A deeply realized tale of the power of music and the anonymity of history."
Kirkus 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 Bens conflict over revealing the truth about the sonata. Sonata is a beautifully told mysteryI loved it.Jane Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The Dry
"Sonata in Wax is a terrific novelimmersive, compelling, smart, the story propelled by a cast of complex, full-bodied characters and the authors absolute mastery of the musical worlds he conjures...Im 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 noveltheft, lies, betrayal, music, and a time-defying mysteryall 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, Hamlins novel sweeps across a century, unfurling the secrets of a sonata that becomes at once a totem of genius and the forbidden. Ive 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 Hamlins brilliant novel, past and present merge when a lost sonatas restored beauty sheds light on the ravages of war and intergenerational trauma. Both epic and intimate, Sonata in Wax is a triumph of storytelling.
Brendan Neil Casey, author of She That Lay Silent-like Upon Our Shore
"Hamlins rich prose is as deft and precise as the skills of his characters, imbuing the descriptions of music with beauty and drama. . . .Theres a depth of expertise on display in this novelnot only regarding musical theory and history, but also the recording equipment of different eras. . . .Art, technology, and class pressures coalesce to create a timeless work of art. A deeply realized tale of the power of music and the anonymity of history."
Kirkus Reviews
