Laurent Binet’s Perspective thrusts readers into the vibrant yet perilous world of Renaissance Florence with an ingenious epistolary murder mystery that unfolds through a series of letters exchanged between some of the most notable figures of 16th-century Italy. The novel opens dramatically on New Year’s Day 1557 with the discovery of famed artist Jacopo da Pontormo stabbed through the heart in the San Lorenzo chapel, beneath the very frescoes he had labored over for eleven years. The discovery of an obscene painting in Pontormo’s studio—Venus and Cupid, with the goddess bearing the face of Maria de’ Medici, the Duke of Florence’s eldest daughter—sets in motion a complex investigation led by the renowned art historian Giorgio Vasari.
As with his previous works HHhH and The Seventh Function of Language, Binet demonstrates his exceptional talent for blending historical fact with fiction, creating a narrative that feels authentic while remaining thoroughly engrossing. His decision to tell the story entirely through correspondence—letters between Maria and her aunt Catherine de’ Medici (Queen of France), between Vasari and Michelangelo, between conspirators and rivals—proves remarkably effective, allowing multiple perspectives on the unfolding events while maintaining the novel’s brisk pace and mounting tension.
A Tapestry of Historical Figures
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its sprawling cast of historical figures, each rendered with distinctive voice and motivation. Binet doesn’t merely parade famous names; he resurrects these Renaissance personalities with psychological depth:
- Giorgio Vasari: The ambitious artist and historian charged with solving the murder
- Michelangelo Buonarroti: The aging master, exiled in Rome, offering wisdom from afar
- Agnolo Bronzino: Pontormo’s devoted student, tasked with completing his master’s work
- Cosimo de’ Medici: The calculating Duke of Florence, concerned with appearances and power
- Catherine de’ Medici: The cunning Queen of France, manipulating events from Paris
- Maria de’ Medici: The duke’s daughter, caught between duty and desire
- Benvenuto Cellini: The roguish goldsmith and adventurer, drawn into political intrigue
The letters exchanged between these figures reveal their secret alliances, ambitions, and vulnerabilities. Particularly compelling is the correspondence between Vasari and Michelangelo, which evolves from professional consultation into profound reflections on art, perspective, and mortality.
The Art of Murder
At its core, Perspective by Laurent Binet is a sophisticated whodunit. Binet carefully plants clues and red herrings throughout the correspondence, allowing readers to piece together the mystery alongside Vasari. The investigation follows several paths:
- Could the color-grinder Marco Moro, organizing worker rebellions reminiscent of the Ciompi Revolt, have murdered Pontormo?
- Might Dominican nuns Sister Plautilla Nelli and Sister Catherine de’ Ricci, devoted followers of Savonarola, have killed him for his “obscene” frescoes?
- Was Bronzino, who inherits Pontormo’s prestigious commission, motivated by professional jealousy?
- Could Pontormo’s apprentice Naldini have turned against his master?
- Was the Duke himself involved, embarrassed by the portrait of his daughter?
The solution, when it finally comes, is both surprising and deeply satisfying—emerging organically from the characters’ personalities and the historical context rather than feeling contrived.
The Politics of Art
Beyond the murder mystery, Binet explores the complex relationship between art and power in Renaissance Italy. Through the characters’ correspondence, we witness how artistic expression was both celebrated and constrained by political considerations:
- The Council of Trent’s censorship of nude figures in religious art
- The Medici family’s use of art as propaganda for their rule
- The danger artists faced when their work displeased patrons
- The rivalry between Republican and Medicean visions of Florence
Particularly fascinating is the novel’s treatment of Pontormo’s controversial frescoes at San Lorenzo—works that actually disappeared in real history, making Binet’s imaginative recreation all the more compelling. The debate over these frescoes becomes a microcosm for larger tensions between artistic freedom and political control, between innovation and tradition.
Epistolary Mastery and Structural Brilliance
Binet’s choice to tell the story entirely through letters might initially seem limiting, but instead proves to be the novel’s masterstroke. This format allows him to:
- Present multiple, often contradictory perspectives on the same events
- Create dramatic irony as readers piece together information that individual characters lack
- Develop distinct voices for each correspondent, revealing character through writing style
- Maintain suspense by controlling the flow of information
The epistolary structure also reflects the novel’s Renaissance setting, when letter-writing was an art form and correspondence networks served as the information highways of their day. Binet captures the formality, eloquence, and occasional coded language of period correspondence while keeping the prose accessible to modern readers.
Sam Taylor’s translation deserves special mention for preserving both the period feel and the distinctive voices of different correspondents, from Michelangelo’s philosophical ruminations to Cellini’s boastful adventures to Maria’s increasingly desperate pleas.
Historical Authenticity with Creative License
Like Laurent Binet’s previous historical novels, Perspective walks a fascinating line between meticulous research and creative invention. The historical details—from artistic techniques to political machinations to daily life in Florence—feel thoroughly authentic, yet Binet isn’t constrained by strict historical accuracy.
For instance, Pontormo’s San Lorenzo frescoes were indeed controversial and eventually destroyed, but Binet reimagines both their content and the circumstances of their creation. Similarly, while many of the novel’s characters are historical figures, their interactions and some biographical details are fictional. This approach allows Binet to use history as a foundation for exploring timeless themes of art, power, and human nature.
Minor Weaknesses
Despite its considerable strengths, Perspective by Laurent Binet isn’t without flaws:
- The large cast of characters can occasionally become confusing, especially in the novel’s early chapters
- Some side plots, like the worker rebellion led by Marco Moro, feel somewhat underdeveloped
- A few secondary characters appear primarily as plot devices rather than fully realized individuals
- The final catastrophic flood, while dramatically effective, strains credulity in its timing and scale
However, these minor issues do little to diminish the novel’s overall impact and ingenuity.
Comparison to Binet’s Previous Works
Fans of Laurent Binet’s previous novels will find Perspective both familiar and refreshing. Like HHhH (which focused on the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich) and The Seventh Function of Language (a literary detective story involving Roland Barthes), Perspective demonstrates Binet’s talent for illuminating historical moments through fiction. However, where those earlier works included metafictional elements acknowledging the author’s presence, Perspective adopts a more straightforward historical fiction approach, immersing readers fully in its Renaissance world.
The novel also shares thematic concerns with Binet’s Civilizations, particularly regarding the relationship between art, politics, and power. However, Perspective‘s tighter focus and mystery structure make it arguably his most accessible work to date.
Who Will Enjoy This Book?
Perspective by Laurent Binet will particularly appeal to readers who enjoy:
- Historical mysteries like Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose or Iain Pears’ An Instance of the Fingerpost
- Art historical fiction such as Sarah Dunant’s Renaissance novels or Tracy Chevalier’s work
- Epistolary novels that unfold through letters and documents
- Political intrigues in historical settings
- Renaissance art and history
The novel rewards both casual readers seeking an engaging mystery and those interested in deeper themes of artistic expression, political power, and historical transformation.
Final Verdict: A Renaissance of the Historical Mystery
Laurent Binet’s Perspective brilliantly combines historical depth, complex characters, and a compelling mystery into a novel that both entertains and enlightens. Through its ingenious epistolary structure, it offers a fresh perspective on Renaissance Florence—revealing the city not as a museum of artistic achievement but as a vibrant, dangerous place where beauty and violence, idealism and intrigue existed side by side.
By weaving together art history, politics, and human psychology, Binet has created a work that feels both authentic to its period and resonant with contemporary concerns about the relationship between art and power. For readers seeking an intelligent, immersive historical mystery, Perspective offers a masterfully executed journey into one of history’s most fascinating cultural moments.
The novel stands as further evidence that Binet remains one of our most versatile and inventive historical novelists, capable of bringing the past to vivid life while never losing sight of the human dramas at its heart.
Perspective by Laurent Binet successfully blends historical authenticity with narrative innovation, creating an engrossing mystery that illuminates Renaissance Florence’s artistic and political landscape. Despite occasional complexity in its large cast of characters, the novel’s epistolary structure brilliantly builds tension while offering multiple perspectives on its central mystery. A must-read for fans of intelligent historical fiction.