The Price of Inheritance

by Karin Tanabe

  The next evening, when I got home from dinner with the head of the Vollinger Gallery, where it looked like I had a chance of getting a job, I picked up my mail from the box downstairs and put it on the breakfast counter. I flicked a Christie’s auction catalogue aside, wondering why I was still on their list, and went through the rest quickly. My hand stopped on a basic white business envelope. It was plain, but my name and address were written on the front in Tyler Ford’s now-familiar small, slanted handwriting. There was no postage on it, no markings showing that it had made its way through a sorting facility. The return address was simply “Top of the Rock.” I ripped it open with my teeth and two thin pieces of paper fell on the ground. One was a note with a line in Tyler’s small print; the other was a plane ticket to Turkey. The note, written in black pen, read,

  Come with me.

  I put it on the counter and let it stare up at me. An hour later, I ripped it up and put the pieces back in the envelope. He would come back. One day when I was walking alone along the Hudson, or through the crowded, ringing streets of Midtown, or home in Newport, floating on the water with the sound of wide, white sails cracking sharply in the wind, I knew he would reappear, just as he did the day I was near my breaking point without him. After all this, he was still Tyler Ford, and I hoped he always would be.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My heartfelt thanks to . . .

  My editor at Atria, Sarah Cantin. You are nothing short of spectacular. Your insights, your humor, and your talent as an editor and wordsmith are what made this book. I hope there are many, many more lovely sailboats, summer days, and cashmere sweaters to create in our future. Thank you for your brilliance and thank you for being so darn fun.

  Bridget Wagner Matzie, my agent extraordinaire. You not only championed this project from day one, but helped me take it from “art crime and a really hot guy” to a story with depth. You’re one of the smartest and most dynamic in the business and I’m beyond grateful for everything you do.

  Judith Curr, Greer Hendricks, Tom Pitoniak, Carla Benton, and all the other gifted minds at Atria. Your vision, creativity, and support are so appreciated and I’m thrilled to call Atria home.

  Jarrod Stuard, thank you for sharing your expertise on the complex legal proceedings of the military and for your patience and invaluable editorial input. You helped give depth to many characters in this book.

  Colette Loll with Art Fraud Insights. You’ve got the best Room of One’s Own in Georgetown, and from it, you’re producing great things. A thousand thank-yous for educating not only me, but all of us art lovers, on the world of fakes and forgeries, and the art of deception.

  Elsa, your extensive knowledge of the glamorous auction world shaped this book. We’re talking from-a-puddle-to-a-pentagon shaped it. Thank you. You’ve been rocking my literary life since day one.

  My wonderful family. Mom, you are, and always have been, my biggest cheerleader, and in two languages at that. I’m indebted. Dad, thank you for discussing those light subjects, like the Crusades, with me, and being a never-ending source of inspiration. Ken, your dedication to everything you do raises the bar.

  Craig Fischer, my incredible husband. Thank you for inspiring so much of this book, for making every day that much better, and for marrying me. I promise we’re going to live an electrifying life together.

  Georgia Bobley, my twin sister in all things books, boarding school, nautical outfits, tomfoolery, Internet stalking, and never, ever, acting our age. Thank you for exploring Newport with me, for being my partner in the world’s best two-person book club and for just being lovely you. My life is so much better because you’re in it.

  Amy Cenicola, Mary-Alice Farina, Lauren Roche-Garland, Julia Seufert, Anna Timbie. Thank you for being the best friends a girl could ask for. You helped me walk down the world’s longest aisle, chez Edith Wharton, and you support me in everything (sane) that I do. Lucky, lucky me.

  THE PRICE

  of

  INHERITANCE

  KARIN TANABE

  A Readers Club Guide

  QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

  1. Discuss the ways Carolyn is shaped by her family. How does she follow in her parents’ footsteps, and how does she react against their choices?

  2. Consider the novel’s epigraph. Did you notice it before you began reading, and if so, did you find it shaped your understanding of the novel? If not, how does it affect the way you consider the book retrospectively? Who in the novel do you think this quote could most closely apply to? And do you agree with Wilde?

  3. Tanabe often uses clothing to give us insight into the personalities of her characters. Pick a few individuals from the novel and examine what you infer about them based on the descriptions of what they wear.

  4. Ostensibly, Tyler and Carolyn are from completely different walks of life. In what ways are they actually quite similar? Beyond their apparent physical attraction, why do you think they are drawn to each other?

  5. When she first meets Hannah, why does Carolyn give her Tyler’s phone number instead of her own? What is she trying to gain from that action?

  6. Consider how the themes of ownership and theft are explored within the novel. When it comes to stealing, who is the most reprehensible character?

  7. Nina tries to build a relationship with Carolyn after she plays a major role in her undoing. Do you think Carolyn was too unforgiving toward Nina? Do you think either Nina or Carolyn acted selfishly?

  8. How are wealth and the wealthy depicted in the book? Why do you think Tanabe chose to have Carolyn grow up adjacent to such affluence, and have her family be “formerly” affluent?

  9. Discuss the ways the military and Newport’s old-money society are juxtaposed within the novel.

  10. Do you think Greg acted honorably when he voiced his suspicions about Tyler or were his actions self-serving? Do you think he cared about the raid on the museum or was he simply interested in Carolyn?

  11. Why do you believe Carolyn cares about “old things” in the way that she does? What is it about antiques that captures her imagination? Do you share this fascination to any degree? Why or why not?

  12. Though Hannah’s relationship with Tyler ended badly, she still chose to help him do something she suspected was illegal. What other legal and moral boundaries do Hannah, Tyler, and Carolyn cross when they follow their hearts?

  13. After years of being “on again and off again,” Alex seems to finally want to commit to Carolyn once she has left New York. “It was always when you stopped caring,” she remarks. Have you had this experience before? Did you agree with Carolyn’s choice to walk away from Alex?

  14. “I was going to be that girl, and no one would remember who grew up on the edge of the ocean, and who grew up just behind it.” How does Carolyn’s sense of herself evolve over the course of the narrative? How has she changed by the novel’s end?

  15. Which of the characters did you feel ultimately knew Carolyn best?

  Enhance Your Book Club

  1. If you haven’t already, read Tanabe’s first novel, The List, and discuss it as a group. Compare and contrast the protagonists of each book. In particular, you might consider how these two books depict power and influence—for example, who holds power in each book, and how is it gained or lost?

  2. Many of Christie’s auctions are streamed live on their website, at https://www.christies.com/livebidding. Consider watching one as a group.

  3. Imagine you are casting the film version of The Price of Inheritance. Who would play Carolyn and Tyler? The Dalby sisters? Alex and Hannah?

  4. The raid on the National Museum of Iraq took place in 2003 and the FBI is still searching for thousands of stolen artifacts and works of art. Take a look at the FBI’s Top Ten Art Crimes list (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/arttheft) to learn more about “stealing history.”

  5. The histor
ical figures Maimonides, Saladin, and King Richard I are at the heart of the mystery of the book. Read more about these three famous men and how their lives were connected during the Crusades.

  6. Tanabe has her characters visit many Newport landmarks built during the Gilded Age, such as the Breakers and the Bellevue Avenue Historic District. Read more about the families who built them, including the Vanderbilts and Astors.

  7. Tanabe modeled the Dalby mansion, “Morning Star,” after a real house on Bellevue Avenue, known as “Miramar.” Read more about the private home and the Widener family, who commissioned it as a summer house (in fact, two of the Wideners never saw the mansion, as they lost their lives in the Titanic).

  8. Several art theft stories inspired the author, including the films The Thomas Crown Affair and The Red Violin. Consider watching one of these films as a group.

  9. Consider taking a trip to a museum to look at ceramics from the Middle East, or browse a collection online. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Freer and Sackler Galleries at the Smithsonian, Sackler Museum at Harvard University, Detroit Institute of Arts, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art all have noted collections.

  10. Many of the characters in the book are passionate about collecting or working with American furniture. If money were no object, what types of art or artifacts would you collect?

  11. Finding a famous work of art at Goodwill has happened before. Read about the Salvador Dalí sketch discovered at a Goodwill in Washington state or the Giovanni Battista Torriglia painting that was discovered at a Virginia Goodwill.

  Further Reading

  For a detailed account of the raid of the National Museum of Iraq by a man who was on the ground and helped recover stolen objects, take a look at Thieves of Baghdad: One Marine’s Passion for Ancient Civilizations and the Journey to Recover the World’s Greatest Stolen Treasures by Colonel Matthew Bogdanos.

  Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton gives an expert and amusing look at the contemporary art world, including Christie’s auctions.

  Thomas Asbridge’s The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land is an accessible read that delves into the fight for the Holy Land between 1095 and 1291, with a strong focus on King Richard I and Saladin.

  About the Author

  Photograph by Julian Barton

  Karin Tanabe is the author of The List and a former Politico reporter whose writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and The Washington Post. A graduate of Vassar College, she lives in Washington, DC.

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  ALSO BY KARIN TANABE

  The List

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 by Karin Tanabe

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Washington Square Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition August 2014

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  Interior design by Kyoko Watanabe

  Cover design by Min Choi

  Cover photograph by Arcangel

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Tanabe, Karin.

  The price of inheritance : a novel / Karin Tanabe.—First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition.

  pages cm

  1. Single women—Fiction. 2. Antique dealers—Fiction. 3. Man-woman relationships—Fiction. 4. Archaeological thefts—Iraq—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3620.A6837P85 2014

  813’.6—dc23

  2013046055

  ISBN 978-1-4767-5860-2

  ISBN 978-1-4767-5861-9 (ebook)