A Greek fisherman hauls up a woman’s body in his net, but this is no murder mystery; C Michelle Lindley’s debut novel The Nude opns with the recovery of an ancient marble statue, a discovery which sets art historians across the world palpitating with excitement. Dr Elizabeth Clarke, mid-thirties, an expert in the art of the Hellenistic era, is dispatched to the Greek island from California to check out the find and if feasible, secure the treasure for the prestigious institution she works for. Elizabeth must tread carefully, neither betraying too much enthusiasm or too little in her effort to acquire the piece for a good price. Generally happier with cold stone than warm flesh, she finds herself being unaccountably stirred by Niko, the handsome young translator she’s been assigned, and even more so by his enigmatic wife, Theo, a local artist.
Elizabeth is operating under the watchful eye of Alec, a local antiquities dealer. Who has the right to acquire artworks, and at what price, is a topical issue for museums today. Whether Elizabeth is complicit in depriving a poorer nation of its artistic heritage as she drives a hard bargain is something she’s uneasily aware of. But who is fooling who? She worries that the find is a little too remarkable, especially when a missing limb also fortuitously turns up from the ocean. Authenticating the statue could make her name, or make her look foolish and naive down the line. Something about the find makes her uneasy; it’s almost too good, but if it has been touched up, it was an expert job, and being associated with a remarkable discovery could only help her career.
Off-duty, strait-laced Elizabeth is feeling her will slacken with the hot sun, good food, heady wine and other sensual delights. Her growing fascination with another female body – Theo’s – runs alongside the gripping art plot. Niko and Theo are warm and engaging, constantly inviting Elizabeth to join them in meals and excursions, but are they merely keeping an eye on her for Alec? How many people are involved in the art scam – if art scam it is? Bubbling away in the background of leisurely meals and night-time drinking sessions is a ferment of political activity, with protests and crackdowns becoming closer and harder to ignore. Art is not a zone apart from politics, it’s intimately involved in it.
Lindley demonstrates that it’s the story behind the artwork, not the object itself, that jacks up the price and draws the crowds. Will Elizabeth’s intellectual integrity withstand the temptation to accept what she’s told; especially when (as Lindley seems to say) it’s how the market for antiquities actually works? It’s a convincing portrait of a woman who’s always been more head than heart, and how perilous that can be. Luscious descriptions of meals, scenery and hot weather make reading the novel a holiday in itself.
The Nude by C Michelle Linley is published by Verve Books