Summary

The Miniaturist is a novel told in third-person present tense. It begins with a prologue “The Old Church, Amsterdam, Tuesday, January 14th, 1687.” In the prologue, someone has died and a funeral is being held. Though the deceased “had no friends” (1), many have come to the church solely to observe. An unnamed “she” watches the burial from a hidden spot, and keeps her gaze fixed on an unnamed “girl.” Once the funeral is over, the woman emerges from her hiding spot and places a “miniature house small enough to sit in the palm” (3) atop the burial site.

The novel then begins “Part One: Mid-October 1686, The Hengracht canal, Amsterdam” (5). This is several months before the prologue. The first chapter of Part One “Outside In,” begins with 18-year-old Petronella “Nella” Elisabeth...