Music Against the Night: A Novel

by Yiyun Li

Yiyun Li, in this sweeping epic, brings us two unforgettable characters based on two extraordinary musicians on the rise.

John Field was born in 1782 in Dublin and went on to become one of the leading musicians of his era in Russia. He coined the term “nocturne” for the form that would later be popularized by his contemporary—who is now much more famous—Chopin. His wife, Adelaide Percheron, born in French Pondicherry in India, eventually came to train alongside Field as a pianist. Her extraordinary life was fueled by her limitless ambition—though her path to success as an artist would meet with greater frustration.

Their story spans seventy years and multiple continents, from Dublin to England to France, Russia, and India. Music Against the Night explores the cultivation and exploitation of artistic talent, the ambition of artists and the ways in which art is commercialized, and themes of history, politics, and migration. Yiyun Li brings a period of strife and change to vivid life in a thrilling, absorbing saga.

Genres: Historical Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 13, 2026

About the author

Yiyun Li is the author of seven books, including Where Reasons End, which received the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award; the essay collection Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life; and the novels The Vagrants and Must I Go. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, and Windham-Campbell Prize, among other honors. A contributing editor to A Public Space, she teaches at Princeton University.

Reviews

[Annie Tate Cockrum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the late 18th century in Dublin/London and Pondicherry, India/France respectively, we follow the parallel childhoods of two musicians (pianists) who eventually marry each other. The book is love story in many forms - about music, friendship, family, and least of all romantic love. It’s really interesting getting to know these characters so well individually without getting very much of the relationship between them. The story is very well set up and I’d be curious to read more about these characters.

I’m going to dive deeper into my thoughts about the book on my substack this week https://annietatecockrum.substack.com...

Thank you to FSG for the advanced copy of Music Against the Night it’s out on October 13th.