These books can be turned up to 11.
It might seem tough to write — and read — about music. After all, you can’t hear the notes as you move from line to line, and typed letters on pages don’t form audible lyrics. And yet some works of literature are so musically gifted, you just might feel like you’ve been to a concert after reading them. Here are a few of my favorite books that center around music and gifted performers. You won’t even need headphones to feel totally transported.
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
A big proclamation, but here goes: This is my new favorite book. The story centers on Ray, a Black teen who realizes he’s a gifted violinist when he plays a rented school instrument. Fast forward years later, as he’s touring the country as a highly sought-after symphony lead, when his violin gets stolen from his hotel room. Who stole it? Turns out his family’s old “fiddle” is actually a famous Stradivarius worth $10 million. Readers follow Ray’s journey, through the abusive relationship with his mom, his savior of a grandmother, and how he solves the mystery of a priceless object. It’s page-turning, poignant, beautiful, and altogether engrossing.
Richard Antoine White refers to himself as the “250-pound Black man with a tuba.” With less than three percent of all symphony orchestra members being Black, Richard (like the fictitious Ray above, based on author Brendan Slocumb himself) overcomes tremendous obstacles to secure his seat. The homeless son of an alcoholic mother, White would regularly wake up at the base of a tree, his mother nowhere in sight. (As a baby, she once left him hollering in an abandoned building.) And yet, he overcame it all to achieve musical mastery. A painful, inspiring journey from start to finish.
Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan
The niece of a Jim Morrison-esque legendary rock star in the 1970s decamps for his California summer compound, Sandcastle, as a teenager; she spends several months with her cousin there until tragedy strikes. After her uncle passes away years later, she inherits Sandcastle, only to reunite with someone from her past.
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
A 14-year-old babysitter gets embroiled in the marriage of a famous rock star and his movie star wife after staying with the family. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll threaten to upend her own role as the daughter of conservative parents. The protagonist’s worlds collide and she has to decide: which direction forward?
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
This oral history, told by fictitious S. Sunny Shelton in the style of smash hit Daisy Jones & The Six, follows Opal, an “Afro-punk” Detroit teenager and Neville (“Nev”) Charles, a British singer-songwriter who discovers her on amateur night and launches her career. A racially motivated incident at a concert threatens everything they’ve built. Decades later, Opal considers a reunion tour, but it brings up things they’d both rather forget.
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
April, a teenager living in a motorhome, sneaks out, steals a neighbor’s car, and heads to a nearby club to perform at an open mic night. A singer-songwriter, April is insanely gifted and decides it’s time to leave her dead-end life and find adventure elsewhere, clutching her boyfriend’s sweater as she leaves town. The events that follow, which she shares with her waitress co-worker, make this narrative a very worthwhile journey.
