Us Conductors

February 10, 2014
Michaels’s first novel glitters, threatens, and sometimes horrifies, but it lacks a center. The book is a fictionalized autobiography of Lev Sergeyvich Termen, the Russian scientist and inventor of the theremin, an eerie electronic musical instrument. Sent to America to demonstrate Soviet ingenuity and to make deals with Western investors, Lev enjoys the Prohibition-era high life and weathers the stock market crash of 1929, while reporting to his minders and spying as assigned. In a novel so deeply concerned with the Communism of Lenin and Stalin, it’s notable that Lev’s character has a near total absence of interest in questions of political economy and personal freedom. He progresses through many stages of use and abuse at the hands of his government, and then goes through a period of relatively benign imprisonment, surprised that a fellow inmate makes a point of refusing to volunteer for extra labor. Lev meets the love of his life in America, but he can’t make it work with her and doesn’t understand why. Perhaps his other marriages are part of the problem—and why does he keep marrying, anyway? Michaels renders historical moments that are interesting in themselves but ultimately can’t compensate for his opaque hero.

Starred review from June 1, 2014
A Canadian music critic shows exceptional poise and command in his debut novel, a first-person tale narrated by the Russian inventor of the theremin.Lev Sergeyvich Termen is a real historical figure, a Russian scientist and inventor, but his voice here is all the author's in a novel that somehow manages to feel both classically Russian (with echoes of Dostoyevsky and Solzhenitsyn) and very contemporary. It has an epic scope that spans decades and countries but retains a tight focus through the writing of Termen, who's confined to a ship. While he's supposed to be keeping a log, he recounts a life that extends from the high society of pre-Depression America to imprisonment under Stalin. "Sometimes I am writing you a letter, Clara, and other times I am just writing, pushing type into paper, making something of my years," he explains. Clara is the narrator's lifelong love, though not one of the two women he married. He met her after traveling to America to promote his invention, "a musical instrument, an instrument of the air," its pitch controlled by the movement of the hands and their proximity to the antennae. "I was the Communist magician, the conductor of the ether, sent out by the state to show off my great discoveries," he says. His invention offered him the possibility of great riches, as American corporations had visions of mass production and "a theremin in every home." But it also offered an opportunity for Termen to serve his homeland as an ambivalent spy, with Russian handlers conducting his business affairs and monitoring his moves. The Depression brought an end to the dreams of riches, and the rise of Stalin returned the inventor who had prospered under Lenin to his homeland as a traitor and "a pauper in a land where I thought poverty had been abolished."Both the voice and the stories it tells transcend the dusty contrivances of much historical fiction, resulting in a novel that feels both fresh and timeless.

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April 1, 2014

If you've never had the opportunity to hear the theremin, go to the nearest computer, and pull up YouTube. The beautiful, eerie-sounding instrument is played by moving one's hands over a board attached to two metal rods. In this work, music critic and blogger Michaels tackles the creation and evolution of the theremin and the life of its inventor, Lev Termen, know here as Leon Theremin. The Russian inventor is a fascinating figure who studied physics, then toured Europe and the United States demonstrating his most famous creation. During a decade-long stay in New York City, he taught the instrument and developed others while rubbing elbows with famous musicians, scientists, and socialites alike. Termen's adventure ended abruptly, shrouded in intrigue; back home he was declared a traitor and sentenced to eight years in a Soviet labor camp. Luckily, his creativity and knowledge helped secure his early release from the brutal camp. While Michaels stays true to what is known of Termen's biography, he also adds some spying and murder and focuses on what he takes to be the greatest romance of the innovator's life. VERDICT Michaels's vivid portrait of Termen and his times is long-winded but highly enjoyable. Recommended for fans of historical fiction, especially that depicting Russian and American culture in the early 20th century.--Kate Gray, Shrewsbury P.L., MA

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