Cons: Often Bantock's works come with "extras," such as postcards or faux postage--my copy did not.
The Bottom Line: Nick Bantock has an amazing talent for composition in both writing and the visual arts. The Venetian's Wife is a perfect example of his artistry.
Bijou's Full Review: Nick Bantock - The Venetian's Wife: A Strangely Se...
Five years ago, my husband introduced me to an author who quickly became a favorite of mine--Nick Bantock. My initial foray into Bantock’s unique literature was an intriguing novel about a ghost, a Hindu goddess, and a young woman finding love. The Venetian’s Wife: Tale of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis is a novel that fits directly into Bantock's catalogue of mysterious, magical narrative. Published in 1996, The Venetian's Wife is a timeless treasure that I enjoy revisiting.
Armchair Detective
Readers are drawn into the novel's intrigue immediately through narration concerning the death of traveler Niccolo De Conti in 1469. Through the prologue, the reader learns that De Conti's journey is unfinished, regardless of his demise. Bantock's tale unfolds to introduce readers to Sara Wolfe, an art preservationist and restorator in a San Francisco museum--we discover that young Sara is drawn to an interesting illustration of Shiva. Shiva is the powerful Destroyer god in the Hindu religion who is often depicted dancing in a ring of fire. Sara's moments with the illustration leave her both physically excited and confused. After one visit to Shiva, she receives a cryptic email from N. Conti, whom she is led to believe is a descendent of the aforementioned Niccolo De Conti.
N. Conti has a business proposition for Sara Wolfe--hunt down four precious Hindu sculptures that were a part of the 15th century collection amassed by Niccolo De Conti during his travels. Fascinated by an aged illustration and journal entry concerning her beloved Shiva, Sara eventually agrees to N. Conti's emailed terms. Buoyed by her desire to embrace adventure rather than continue restoring art in the museum, Sara becomes embroiled in a supernatural, fantastic journey. Yet all is not as it seems to be--including her generous employer.
Bantock delicately weaves a story of myth, history, and modernity that takes the reader along on Sara's journey. To add to the tension between what is real and what is not, readers take the position of armchair detective as they peruse emails, journal entries, letter excerpts, and email correspondence. By allowing readers to take a peek into "private" conversation, Bantock involves his readers in a very active way. As we spy on the characters' predicaments, we are enveloped in their circumstances just as Sara is seduced by the Shiva illustration. Bantock's epistolary style is masterful--he weaves various narrative threads together to create a tapestry of interesting depth.
The Remover of Obstacles
It is clear that Bantock researched Hindu mythology for this story. As Sara recovers sculptures for N. Conti, the reader learns myth and background regarding Hindu deities such as Parvati (Shiva's consort), Ganesha (the Elephant-god and Remover of Obstacles), and the multi-armed Shiva (the Destroyer; the Cosmic Dancer). Hindu art and myth are very sensual and beautiful; Sara's immersion in this world allows her to become more in touch with her spirituality.
Through examination of Hindu art and sculpture, one may notice how there is a balance of masculine and feminine depicted in various ways. Bantock's inclusion of Hindu images reinforces the novel’s theme of duality and serves as a way to understand N.Conti's motivation for restoring his art collection to its original status. N. Conti is desperate to reunite with his soul mate, Yasoda, and can only do so once the collection is complete. Sara's quest and self-discovery allows her discover her own soul mate, a colleague named Marco. Both couples--N. Conti & Yasoda, Sara & Marco--represent the sense of partnership and oneness that is present throughout Hindu myth. Without one's partner, one is unbalanced. Bringing the soul mates together, in typical mythical tradition, creates magic.
Master of his Craft
What I love about Bantock's novels, besides the epistolary format, is his exceptional artistic skill. Throughout the novel, richly-colored collage, ink drawings, ephemera, and original mixed-media art add layers of interest to the unusual tale of a literal "ghost in the machine" and his protégé. Readers will soon discover that the artwork enhancing the novel serves more than a decorative purpose; clues about the story, symbols that convey multiple meanings, and narrative kernels embedded in the art allow readers to explore the relationship between art and literature. The Venetian’s Wife is a novel that I’ve read several times, and with each review I can discover something new in the artwork that I missed during an earlier read.
The writer uses different fonts to correspond to a given speaker; when N.Conti is speaking directly to us (the readers), Bantock uses italics so we note Conti’s asides. Sara keeps a “computer diary” in which she features graphite and color illustrations that complement her personality. Collage and mail art beautifully highlight moments in the story, and the images range from unusual postage stamps, to colorful beetles, to photographs of Indian people and deities. Throughout the novel, the reader will enjoy the complexity and synergy of Bantock’s text and artwork.
Final Thoughts
Fans of Bantock’s other works, notably his Griffin and Sabine series, may love The Venetian’s Wife or find its resolution too “complete.” For readers who enjoyed the “What Ifs?” that linger at the conclusion of the Griffin and Sabine series (which also includes The Morning Star Trilogy), they will discover The Venetian’s Wife has a clearer resolution. Personally, I enjoyed the novel’s conclusion and found it to substantiate the themes of illusion, love, self-discovery, and death as a transition (rather than a finality). Of course, the “soul mates” theme is an integral part of the narrative and blossoms to fruition at the novel’s end. It is only natural, I suppose, that I was directed to this lovely story by my own soul mate.
Instead of pulp fiction or mass-produced summer reading, take a journey into Bantock’s magical world. Its spiritual narrative and creative presentation will absolutely make an impact that may continue to resonate for you as it has for me.
Sidebar
This review is an entry into my soul mate’s Canadiana Write Off celebrating anything having to do with Canada. Nick Bantock was born in England but later emigrated to Vancouver, Canada—which is just where my husband is headed today and from where Elvisdo hails.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.