Favourite Fiction Books That Have Art as a Theme
I recently read The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab, which has been on the New York Times Bestseller list since it came out in October 2020. It has an interesting continuous connection with art running throughout its pages. I hadn’t been expecting it, and although it wasn’t a huge plot point - no spoilers here, don’t worry - it got me thinking about my favourite fictional books where there is a plot line relating to art.
So here are the first five that came to my mind, and I’ll do a Part 2 soon.
Please let me know what your favourites are in the comments.
The catalyst for this blog post, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, is a magic realism story focusing on Addie and her struggle to be remembered after making a deal with the devil on her wedding day. Like I said, there is a connection with art running through the pages, but there is also a lot of discussion about the creation of art - whether that’s music, writing or painting - and where inspiration comes from.
I don’t even know where to start with this. If you’ve read anything by Max Porter (author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers and Lanny), you’ll know it could not be your typical novel. Porter’s writing is always experimental, and his latest novel The Death of Francis Bacon (2021) is no different. It’s fragmenty, based on the last six days of the artist Francis Bacon, and attempts to put words into Bacon’s frantic paintings and chaotic love life. It’s short, the audiobook is just under an hour long, so after reading The Goldfinch it might be a good change of pace.
Out of all of these on the list, this is without doubt my favourite. I listened to this on Audible and although it’s long, it’s so worth it. It follows Theo from his childhood after he and his mother are in a bombing at The Met Gallery in New York and his mother doesn’t survive. It’s a long and winding tale about obsession, grief, love, and includes a healthy dose of antiques and art forgery. It’s a brilliant character study and I highly recommend the audiobook if you want something to sink your teeth into and get invested in.
Another short work, Indelicacy is about a woman whose life dramatically changes after she marries well, moving from a cleaner at a museum to a lady of leisure. It’s an interesting look at an individual who is perfectly happy to spend their life with a few simple pleasures; a couple close friends, her art and writing. You can read my full review of Indelicacy here.
Chances are you read the title of this post and thought of this book. It’s the classic art fiction book which got turned into the movie with Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. I thoroughly enjoyed it, I do love reading or watching Dutch period pieces and this ticks all the boxes. I would like to keep reading more of Chevalier’s work, and have heard good reviews about her latest book A Single Thread (2019) which also has art themes as it focuses on embroidery.