The Judges by Eric Matluck

Eric Matluck

Author

The Judges

"You can't win unless you're judged." So somebody tells Mary Sorabi, and Mary is no stranger to being judged. She's a young woman, half-Indian, half-Chinese, who's a classical pianist, and plays the kind of music, music from the twentieth century, that most people hate. But that's her passion. When she wins a prestigious competition, her life changes, but rather than fill her with a sense of pride and accomplishment, it fills her with feelings of fear and claustrophobia because, suddenly, everything she does comes under scrutiny, and soon she realizes that her very existence is about to be judged. The Judges is a haunting, surreal story about prejudice, being different, pleasing others versus pleasing yourself, and being remembered versus being forgotten. In it we encounter a narrator who knows Mary but never discloses who he or she is, a man who may be a newspaper reporter and conducts a strangely twisted interview with her, excerpts of which surface throughout the novel, and, of course, the inscrutable and disturbing judges themselves.

Reviews

This bold psychological novel from Matluck (Notes for a Eulogy) gets under the skin of Mary Sorabi, a classical pianist and recent winner of the Graffman International Piano Competition. To all her friends, she seems like she’s about to be the next big thing in the music world. Instead of pondering her upcoming recital, though, Mary’s pondering the three faceless beings who appeared on her couch one evening. Calling themselves The Judges, they delve into Mary’s daily life decisions, big and small, weighing them out, complete with slide projector, all for some unknown grander purpose. Their faceless natures belie their thoughts on justice; “Justice shouldn’t be wearing a blindfold,” one intones, adding “ she should be wearing a mask, because justice is inscrutable.”

That’s the enticing setup of The Judges, a clever and incisive story that focuses heavily on Mary’s internal dialogue, inviting readers to come to know every little thought—and her own judgements on everything and everyone around her. From her deliberating the appropriate tip for a waiter who offers her free food to her considering how to handle her boundaries with a verbally abusive older brother, Matluck lays bare this engaging character’s complex everyday decision-making process, pointing the way for readers to ponder in their own lives.

Are the judges a manifestation of her inner doubts, some beyond-the-human tribunal, or something stranger still? Those questions fascinate, but Matluck’s interest is in Mary and her mind as she navigates the world. At times densely thoughtful, the novel probes why we make the decisions that we do, the storytelling laser-pointed focus on Mary’s inner turmoil, her rationalizations and running monologues when dealing with cashiers, family members, and even, to her astonishment, a young man who recognizes her for her artistry. Matluck explores rich questions but leaves many answers to readers to answer, guided by insights like “big decisions were nothing but a lot of small decisions piled on top of one another.”

Takeaway: A surprising novel of a pianist’s mind, a mysterious tribunal, and the ethics of everyday choices.

Great for fans of: Nicholson Baker, Michael Poore’s Reincarnation Blues.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B

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