The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander is a beautiful story told from two viewpoints from two different times. One voice is from Katya, a young Russian in the 1960’s who receives a Blüthner piano from a elderly man in her apartment building. She loves that piano, but does she love it too much? The other voice is from Clara, a young American in the 2010’s who has a piano she received from her father after he died in a house fire when she was very young. She is now in her 20’s and has kept the piano for years even though she doesn’t play it. By why?
This is a beautifully written story that explores many aspects of relationships – parents, spouses, children, friendships, etc. I thought it was clever to use a piano to signify the “weights” we all carry around and how we may sometimes carry those weights because we think we are supposed to or just don’t know how to let them go.
832 Book Review 