Let me just start off by saying that I can’t imagine not loving anything written by Sara Zarr. All of her stories [see also Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, and How to Save a Life] are just so compelling, and her characters so realistic that I become very quickly attached. Finishing one of her books always makes me feel like a friend moved away; very bitter-sweet. One of the reasons I thought this particular book was so great is because it was still completely accessible even though I don’t know a ton about classical music or playing piano [so you shouldn’t let that stand in your way if you’re not well versed either].
In this story, we meet Lucy Beck-Moreau — musical prodigy and former concert pianist. She used to be a pretty big deal. I’m talking traveling the world, recording songs with symphonies, and hearing herself on the radio big… But then, she suddenly stopped performing. Everyone has a theory about what happened, but no one knows the real story. Now that Lucy’s younger brother has a new teacher — because the former teacher dropped dead in the middle of a lesson — Lucy is starting to deal with her feelings about the whole situation, partly in hopes that she can help her brother avoid the burnout she experienced.