"The Ensemble," by Aja Gabel

“The Ensemble”(Riverhead, 2018), by Aja Gabel portrays the contemporary world of music, as seen in the form of a classical music quartet. The novel’s author, a former cellist, seems to know the world well, and shows the beautiful, even ethereal, aspects of being immersed in music, as well as the more difficult aspects. She describes the music itself remarkably effectively, as well as the long hours of practice, the worries, the insecurities, and the physical and mental toll the life of musicians can take. (I had never before thought -- although I probably should have -- about all the arm, shoulder, elbow, back, etc. injuries that can affect musicians’ bodies.) Intertwined with all of the above are the personal lives and loves of the four musicians and their families, lovers, and associates. The Van Ness Quartet consists of Jana, Brit, Henry, and Daniel. They need each other and love each other, and have various relationships among themselves, including romantic and sexual ones, sometimes concealed and sometimes not, but they also have arguments, fallings-out, and tough times. The novel follows the group for many years. As a San Franciscan, I enjoyed the early scenes set in San Francisco, where the quartet studied music and met each other. Later, after some intermediate moves, including to New York, some of them live north of San Francisco in the Sonoma Valley (just a bit north of where I live). The combination of the musical aspects and the personal aspects works well, although occasionally the plot and the writing verge on being a bit overwrought. But that is a small quibble; the novel is compelling. In addition to enjoying it, I learned quite a bit about music, instruments, quartets, concerts, and in general the world of classical musicians.