An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

An Equal Music was a poignant story of love by Vikram Seth. Intricately interwoven with a strong technical music backdrop, there are parts which I could not fully appreciate due to my limited knowledge in this sphere. That however, did not take away the beauty of his writing which lies in the pain you feel deep inside after reading it.

The Story is set in Vienna and London and the vibe of artsy Vienna can be felt in the book just as much as the intensity of emotions.

After finishing the book, for a change I just wanted to jot down the excerpts from this book, which touched me and are a work of art in themselves –

“But never either found another
To free the hollow heart from paining –
They stood aloof with scars remaining,
Like cliffs which have been rent asunder;
A dreary sea now flows between; –
But neither heat, not frost not thunder,
Shall wholly do away, I ween,
the marks of that which once hath been.”
– an excerpt from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Christabel: 1816

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“What can’t be disposed off must be placed in deeper storage. I will hire a warehouse in the suburbs and in it lay all undesired entities: scent, sound, sight, inclination”

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“What is the difference between my life and my love? One gets me low and the other lets me go.”

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…And into that gate they shall enter, and in that house they shall dwell, where there shall be no Cloud nor Sun, no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music…
– John Donne