‘Octavo’ Review: Unique, Genre-Blending Premise Ultimately Proves Convoluted

Telling two intriguing stories simultaneously, Octavo by Marty Neumeier doesn’t seem to do either justice.

This novel is written in a unique format: nearly everything is presented as audio recordings rendered on the page, giving preference, perhaps, to the audiobook version.

Readers are introduced to Scarlett right off the bat, but, as she says, that’s not her real name. She and her partner in crime, Artie, have done something bad for the greater good.

They’ve taken over possession — think, stolen — of a manuscript written in the Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci’s last pupil, Count Francesco de Melzi.

Scarlett, a university grad with a master’s in biophysics whose side hustle involves art authentication, and Artie (also not her real name), a retired art historian, are hired by a client to authenticate a painting found in a Northern Italian townhouse. They’d never met before working on this project together, but the two don’t get along at first.

It’s no wonder, as Scarlett often comes across as snarky and disrespectful, and this is not endearing.

As the two complete their work, they quickly discover this is no ordinary piece of art. It’s a full-length portrait of da Vinci in his later years, the only one known to exist. Painted by Melzi, it details so much about this inventor and artist, the true definition of a Renaissance man, and it’s sure to rock the history and art worlds.

Then, they accidentally uncover the manuscript. It tells the story of Leonardo da Vinci solving a mystery that not only includes a gruesome scene at a Venetian printing business, but also involves two rival, infamous, and powerful women of the Renaissance: Lucrezia Borgia and Isabella d’Este.

Scarlett and Artie know this manuscript deserves to be made known to the world and determine it’s not safe with their client, who they’ve nicknamed Dickson. They contact Peter Chenoweth, editor at a publishing company, but they must be discreet so Dickson doesn’t discover them before it’s published, hence the reason for secrecy and fake names.

Artie, with her knowledge of languages, translates the document one chapter at a time, with her and Scarlett adding their own takes and opinions in audio files that are in turn sent to Chenoweth. His email responses are included as well.

This format helps move the book along; it’s a fast read.

However, it does start to feel as if Neumeier is slyly complimenting his own writing in this book.

Since the manuscript, after all, is pure creative invention on his part, in the present day, when Chenoweth or even the two women mention how much they love what’s happening in the story or how brilliant Melzi’s writing is, it’s almost hard to take it seriously.

But there is a true want to take this seriously.

This is a revolutionary format that unfortunately falls flat with too many impractical interjections that take readers out of the story — or story within a story.

These interjections, with Scarlett and Artie providing context or fact-checking, also seem like the author is explaining how to read a historical fiction book. It tends to feel like it’s dumbing down the context.

As each piece of the translated manuscript is sent to Chenoweth, Scarlett gives as many details as she can from her past and their situation in the present. When Melzi’s story finishes with a sizable chunk of the book left, Neumeier means for the thriller aspect to take over, but it is not as captivating.

A contemporary thriller about two art historians stealing a precious, never-before-seen manuscript — or even the painting — and trying to introduce it to the world before the bad guy can hide it away forever would have worked on its own. Keeping the contents a secret MacGuffin, like the briefcase of Pulp Fiction, for instance, would have been deliciously evil but fun.

By the way, it’s still hard to determine just why Dickson wants the manuscript to vanish and live inside his vault. This, for the large part, makes Octavo feel a bit unconvincing. Yes, being in possession of a priceless piece of art, like the portrait of da Vinci, makes a little more sense, but Dickson didn’t even know what was contained within the manuscript.

An evil tech bro, his villain origin story is a bit cheesy anyway. All the elements of security and data breaching that hamper Scarlett and Artie’s progress and safety feel like a cop-out without fully explaining how they happen.

Artie is much more likable than Scarlett, but she’s never given a chance to develop, and for Scarlett, it seems to come too late. She finally opens up toward the end, but her backstory doesn’t add anything groundbreaking. Male authors writing tragic, assault-laden stories for their female characters does not feel like a win.

Aside from this, the ending of the modern-day story is well done, and readers will especially appreciate how the loose ends from the Renaissance story are tied up, including how the manuscript came to be where Scarlett and Artie uncovered it.

The historic story felt much more satisfactory than its contemporary counterpart. It made for the better read and is where the majority of this novel’s strengths lie.

Octavo gives an entertaining and believable reason why da Vinci’s notebooks were never commercially published; only his handwritten notes exist today. Plus, it gives insight into the mysterious Mona Lisa, a painting that’s captured viewers’ imaginations for centuries.

The Italian settings are brought to life, and the Renaissance characters, most of whom are based on real people, are certainly more lively and enjoyable than those in the present. Melzi is a standout, and da Vinci is rendered as an awesome figure as well.

Historical fiction readers may not get as much out of this novel as they might hope, and thriller enthusiasts may feel bogged down by the slow, but rewarding, pace of the Renaissance story within a story.

The positives of this book are celebrating the arts and sciences. The message of this novel is clear: one would not be complete without the other.

The title derives from a book format from the Renaissance, and Octavo should also get props for its unusual design and layout.

Instead of trying to blend two genres, this novel may have worked better if it had stuck to one. The idea of crime solving da Vinci is solid enough for a captivating piece of historical fiction.

Octavo is available now wherever books are sold.

 

 

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