'CASTOR AND POLLUX': A Tale of Mystery, Music, and Family
local mother-daughter duo lend individual academic studies, life experience to creation of debut novel
A bizarre experience inspired local author Nina Albanese-Kotar to write Castor and Pollux, her newly released debut novel. Nina, who has not played any instruments herself, discovered the magic of musical instruments through her daughter, Katerina “Katie” Kotar.
“Katie was ‘trying out’ different cellos, when I happened to be holding another cello,” Nina said. “When that cello started vibrating, I had a glimpse into the vibrational connections among us. It sent shivers through me, and sparked the idea for this novel.”
Don’t let the book’s length (over 400 pages) deter you. It’s a swift read with a cinematic quality. This fast-paced mystery could pull you into reading it in full in just one sitting – for me, one night and one rainy day – yet it is worth savoring.
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The author WEAVES SEVERAL INTERLOCKING STORIES OF FAMILIES AND THEIR DARK SECRETS THROUGH THE GENERATIONS, BEGINNING IN VENICE, ITALY IN THE LATE 1700S.
Their legacies create a tangle of forbidden love and tragedy that haunt the generations to come.
Castor and Pollux begins in Whitechapel, London, where a unique antique cello case from the late 1700s containing a human skeleton is discovered by a real estate developer. The three main characters, all Americans, respond to a newspaper advertisement in London about the mystery. These characters are Desca, a cello graduate student; Peter, a violin instructor at the same university; and Rick, a former musician who also claims an interest.
As the story unfolds, Desca begins to suspect her antique cello may be connected to the mysterious cello case and its contents. She can't shake the thought her cello is bewitched; it vibrates or plays along when she plays on her contemporary cello.
Other times, Desca hears it playing an eerie tune alone inside its case. Drawn to answer questions about its origins, she dives into the celestial map on the cello's back, of the constellation Gemini (the twins Castor and Pollux).
From there, Nina weaves several interlocking stories of families and their dark secrets through the generations, beginning in Venice, Italy in the late 1700s.
This narrative begins, as many instruments do, with a luthier, a craftsperson who builds and repairs stringed instruments.
Francesco, the violin maker, worked for his patron, Mihalyi, a musician and music professor. Mihalyi married a much younger woman named Leda, a musician at an ospedali grandi, which translates from Italian as a 'great hospital.'
These charitable institutions in Venice cared for the city's impoverished and were known for providing music education. With composers like Vivaldi in their employ, the ospedali were among the forerunners of today's music conservatories.
When Francesco falls in love with Leda, their legacies create a tangle of forbidden love and tragedy that haunt the generations to come.
Nina's daughter, Katie, whose education and music background focuses on 17th and 18th century performance practice and culture, fact checked much of the historical material for the book. Katie's master’s degree thesis entitled “Dressing the Angels of Venice: Material culture of the ospedali grandi," supplied additional context and inspiration for the book.
A graduate of North High School in Eau Claire, Katie currently pursues her doctorate in Musicology at Duke University, where she conducts further research into the myths surrounding the women of the ospedali system.
On the book jacket, Nina shared the novel took many years to finish. She gathered real-life impressions from many sources including countless concerts, multiple visits to luthier workshops, and travels to London, Milan, Cremona, Venice, and Vienna.
Katie expressed her admiration for her mother's ability to successfully develop the novel's concept.
“I’m surprised and gratified how much of my work and experience in music informed the story,” Kotar said. “It was great fun fact-checking the manuscript, and it became kind of a game for us to make a ‘soundtrack’ playlist out of the wonderful pieces of music mom had included, plus find other examples of historical and popular music that fit the story.”
A playlist will soon accompany the book, released by the mother-daughter duo.
Castor and Pollux is Nina's first writing venture after a full career as a licensed psychologist in the Chippewa Valley, with a sequel already in the works.
Castor and Pollux will soon be available locally at The Local Store (205 N. Dewey Street, Eau Claire) and is currently available on Amazon. For more information on author Nina Albanese-Kotar, visit her website: https://ninaalbanese-kotarbooks.com/.
