The Song Is You

This is one of the best books I've read in a long while. I finished it on a plane and I cannot get it out of my head. I've never read anything by Arthur Phillips before (although I remember when his last book came out and I was working at Barnes & Noble) but I definitely will seek him out again. This is a book about music, how songs remind us of a certain moment or how hearing the right song at the right moment can convince us to act or not to act. This is a book about love, both falling in and out, and trying to find your way once your life seemingly falls apart. This is also a book about insecurities when your dreams start coming true...or when they don't. I had a little trouble starting the book but I'm beyond glad I gave it a go. Phillips packs a lot into each page, so while I read the bulk of the book quickly, I didn't feel as if I were flying through it. If you like good fiction, read this book. And then tell me when you do so I have someone to discuss it with!

I simply could not put this book down. As a music lover and reader, it was stellar. The turns of phrase, the powerful story, it all adds up to one of the best books I've ever read.

It was a relief to find that the awesome writer Arthur Phillips has left behind the contrivances of books like Angelica and the Egyptologist and returned to what he does best--beautifully drawn characters from our times cast in challenging moments from real life. It is a rare pleasure to experience characters brought to life so vividly and with such fine perception. Being in the music business myself, I found the musical characters quite convincing and familiar, from the almost-famous has-been Alec to the charismatic new vocal sensation, Cait. The club scenes, supporting musicians and their insecurities were all very convincing. Most of all, I appreciated Phillips beautifully realized picture of the power of music in our lives. And -- can we use some of those lyrics? The weaving of the dual tales of fan obsession and personal tragedy was terrific, with the love of music providing a pathway through it all. The end, though a bit abrupt, was actually quite effective: it felt familiar in the way a crisis is endured as in a dream, and then seems to quickly melt away. Altogether a lovely, provocative tour-de-force of writing.

Here we find Julian Donahue, a man who has gotten to the point where he wants to long for something but doesn't, then slowly becomes more and more infatuated with the fiery red haired passionate woman of his dreams. This novel is perfect in that both the expectations he has and the expectations the reader has disappear completely by the end of the book. All that is left of the experience between him and Cait is a memory of oblivion, something that looks like a life change but also a series of memories. Remarkable in that a connection can be so deep without actually "connecting". I originally picked up the book expecting something like High Fidelity, one of my favorites, but here the writing is like poetry and the characters seem like you could meet them on the street. Maybe you already did. What this book really ends up being about is a man remembering how to feel, and if at the end of the day there's disappointment, that disappointment is real and visceral. I loved this book and it reminded me of Hemingway, where the characters long for something but find it consistently out of their grasp. Music is shown here as a life force in a way I haven't seen much before, music is air, or water, or sunlight. Near the end the book almost turns into a suspense thriller where you need to know what is going to happen next, and yet at the end fate decides what will happen. The book spends a lot of time focusing on the oblivion of the past while constantly wanting some new hope for the future, and by the end it's there, but maybe not the way you expected or wanted.

I absolutely loved this novel. I rarely write reviews here, but I wanted to for this book in the hope that if you're on the fence about buying this book, this review may be the slight nudge you need to buy it, read it, and love it like I did. And if you love music (of any kind), you would simply be remiss if you don't read this book. The book begins with the premise that art - especially, music - can inspire nostalgia about people, events, places of the past. But, more specifically, music has the unique power to recall what exactly you were feeling while experiencing those events, people, places. Slowly, the book evolves into a comment on the muse / artist relationship. But as this idea is explored, the reader soon discovers the idea is that the novel is not just about the inspiration behind art - specifically, music - but also how art can assuage pain and hurt of even the saddest, most awful memories. The muse and artist relationship is symbiotic, complementary - but extraordinarily complicated. What's truly great about this novel, though, is Phillips' writing. From the very first page, you trust him. He's funny, he's passionate, he's affecting. And he renders his characters and their relationships to each other in such real, faithful terms. Even at the times where the plot of the novel and the examination of the characters' thoughts - especially Julian's - begin to strain believability, he gently guides you back to a place where you have no trouble accepting that these are real, extraordinarily sane characters. If I have one complaint about the novel at all, it's that the writing is a bit dense at the beginning. It takes a few pages to get a handle on Phillips' style, but by about page 45 - with the telling of the hilarious "Incident" anecdote - you know you're in for a treat. And, like I did, you'll probably finish the next 200 pages in about two sittings. If it's not clear by now, I can't recommend this book more highly. Please, please do yourself a favor and read it.