Author Brendan Slocumb's first book, The Violin Conspiracy, was one of my Best Reads last year, so I picked up Symphony of Secrets with a great deal of anticipation. Once again, Slocumb brought me into the world of music and made me feel each note. This book is not only a celebration of music, it also cautions readers about legacy, privilege, and creative genius.
For me, the strongest part of this book was the relationships between various characters and how those relationships changed over time. There's not just the relationship between Bern and Eboni as they work to uncover the truth about world-famous composer Frederick Delaney, there's the relationship between Bern himself and the composer. Bern is a man who has spent his life becoming an expert on Delaney and his music. As more and more facts are uncovered that Delaney did not compose his own music, Bern is no longer the slavish devotee. Now he is a disillusioned knight fighting to right a serious wrong, and if he is to survive, he must shed his naïveté in dealing with the Delaney Foundation.
Perhaps the most profound relationship in Symphony of Secrets is between Frederick Delaney and neurodivergent Josephine Reed, a poor Black woman who just happens to be a musical genius. Theirs is a most personal relationship that also shows how Blacks were treated in the music industry of the 1920s.
I found myself equally enjoying both time periods (present day and the 1920s) as the story unfolded, and I often felt myself working through all the legal and moral implications of what Bern and Eboni were uncovering as they dug up each new clue. Wow. What has Brendan Slocumb got up his sleeve next? I can't wait to find out.
For me, the strongest part of this book was the relationships between various characters and how those relationships changed over time. There's not just the relationship between Bern and Eboni as they work to uncover the truth about world-famous composer Frederick Delaney, there's the relationship between Bern himself and the composer. Bern is a man who has spent his life becoming an expert on Delaney and his music. As more and more facts are uncovered that Delaney did not compose his own music, Bern is no longer the slavish devotee. Now he is a disillusioned knight fighting to right a serious wrong, and if he is to survive, he must shed his naïveté in dealing with the Delaney Foundation.
Perhaps the most profound relationship in Symphony of Secrets is between Frederick Delaney and neurodivergent Josephine Reed, a poor Black woman who just happens to be a musical genius. Theirs is a most personal relationship that also shows how Blacks were treated in the music industry of the 1920s.
I found myself equally enjoying both time periods (present day and the 1920s) as the story unfolded, and I often felt myself working through all the legal and moral implications of what Bern and Eboni were uncovering as they dug up each new clue. Wow. What has Brendan Slocumb got up his sleeve next? I can't wait to find out.
