“I know that time for you feels finite. But you’ll see it will stretch out. There’s so much more to come.”

This is the sequel to The Miniaturist, which I enjoyed a lot some years ago. It was intriguing, atmospheric and well, you can read all about it here.

So why then did I let this sequel gather dust for so long before picking it up? Anyway I am glad I finally did.

“When Thea was born, it was a sign to her that Thea was always meant to be. A kernel of hope. A reassurance. An exemplar of the miniaturist’s skill. A promise that things might renew.”

Set 18 years after the events of the Miniaturist, we now follow Thea, who lives in her big, empty family house, amidst the rare remnants of its past glory. After Johannes’… ordeal, the family’s (good) fortune is no more and Nella is determined she makes a good marriage to ensure a comfortable and respectable future. But Thea dreams of true love and voyage.

“Thea is also fearful. Marriage to the wrong man happen the time in this city, and not just in plays. Her true love might be snatched away.”

I read it in one setting, while getting my braids done. I was glad to be back in this world of shadows and secrets in the midst of the otherwise flamboyant city. 

It felt more plot driven and a tad less atmospheric than its predecessor. So, the first one is still my favourite. But still. I loved how the miniaturist remained elusive, casting a large symbolic shadow of repressed desires, ambition, fear and longing. Some readers complained that she was shoehorned into the story but it didn’t feel contrived to me. She is most potent as this alluring… clairvoyante? Peeper? She tells tantalizing and frightening stories with her miniatures, lending a mirror but also spurring, accelerating the future.

“Nella squeezes the newborn gently, as if to press upon the secret of its power. So small, so swaddled, half the length of Nella’s little finger, its face peering through the white bandages like a nut. Thea stopped being a baby so long ago, but it feels to Nella as if this is all she has, this stolen offering of comfort and guidance, a sense of being seen.”

All the characters must navigate the bustling city and its false promises.

Nella’s life has kind of stopped. She is trapped in the house by the past, pinned into place. She voluntarily chose to stay to help raise Thea, but after that, little seems to be under her control. Maybe Thea’s adventurous nature can help her confront the past, and lose her shackles.

“Has she struck the wrong chord – a minor note, to speak of vanishing, of being consumed by the foliage he reveres so much?”

Otto, Thea’s father, is also stripped of agency, as the prejudices of his time deny him the opportunity to exercise his talents. A chance encounter sparks a new light into him, but nurturing this ambitious fire will take some twists of fate.

I had a great time reading this. I revelled in 18th century Amsterdam, and felt at home in the dusky corners of the haunted house. I enjoyed exploring the tortuous family dynamic and follow the golden threads of love behind the layers of arguments and frustration. A delight. 

“Thea looks up at those ancient walls, and just as she drawn to them, she feels fear in her heart. A trap, waiting to spring.”

However, the character that haunted me afterwards is Arabella, although she is only fleetingly mentioned. Her fate pains and intrigues me. All these unanswered letters, alone from such a young age. It all sounds so unfair, that she would be cast aside as just another reminder of a distressful past. I hope I get to read her story one day…

Have you read this one too? Did it live up to your expectations?

“You cannot have two stories. You can end up with only one.”

The House of Fortune
Bloomsbury
304 pages