The Violet Hour, James Cahill
Diving deep into the underbelly of the art world, The Violet Hour revolves around a famous artist, a successful gallerist, and a billionaire art collector. Though the plot is set loosely to be about the reunion of the artist, gallerist, and a young man who has fallen to his death, what makes this book strongest is not its storyline, but the ways in which it feels deliciously scandalous.
The style of this book feels reminiscent of the author’s debut, Tiepolo Blue, despite tonal differences. Characters are opened to us through slow narration, and they feel very convincing in that they could easily be elusive figures from the real world that we only read exposes about but never get to know this intimately. They offer us, not just their inner demons, but legitimate insight into artists and galleries too.
I found I enjoyed The Violet Hour much more when I let go of the expectation of a linear plot and accepted it as a multifaceted character study instead. The exploration of the ways in which characters take from each other is where James Cahill truly shines. People in this book are never truly just friends – there is always something amiss or overbearing – which leads to intriguing dynamics. Everyone wants something from someone else while being convinced that they themselves are lacking in fundamental ways.
The story also feels vaguely like a whodunnit in some ways, with the death of the young man lurking in the background, but we’re not necessarily waiting for the big reveal. The main tension doesn’t come from the mystery, but from existing in the scandalous world of art.
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