The Loners by Nigel P.

4 out of 5 stars

Everybody has to rebel!

 It is 1978 and like any 15 year old English school boy Nigel has lots of dreams.  Of course many dreams are never fulfilled, but Nigel is determined to be lead guitarist, singer and song writer in his own band, The Loners.  The real driving force behind this desire is that Nigel is convinced that this will make him the fantasy of every school girl.  The trouble is that Nigel goes to a boys’ school and the girls are a distant, wished for mystery, across the road and down the way a little.  Of course the music Nigel is interested in is Punk: none of that ‘commercial’ stuff.  Surely with a bit of practice, keeping an eye out for other musicians, and a bit of luck and hard work this dream will come true?

This is a book about adolescence which will appeal to both youth and adults, especially those adult who remember the era.  On one level this is a feel good novel, but if the readers dig just a little deeper they will find some deeper thoughts and ideas, and more than a little irony.

The Loners is a first person narrative.  Nigel has given his novel a more unusual structure.  The Preface claims to be written by Dr. Arthur Arbuthnot, Nigel’s English teacher, but we immediately suspect that it is a complete fabrication of the author.  In this way Nigel immediately gives the novel a postmodern feeling as we become aware that the book is a ‘fabrication,’ a construct of the author, just as all our memories are very biased by our interpretations and point of view.  This is not ‘real life,’ though as soon as we get into the story it will immediately seem so.  The first half of the novel, Part One, Being There Is Half The Fun, very much has the feel of a ‘coming of age’ story with school boy humour, exuberance and light headedness.  It establishes the background of the story and then follows the events from the forming of the band to the climax of the first concert.  Chapter 19, the beginning of Part Two, Being There Is All Of It, leaps forward in time, well into 1979, almost to the end of the story.  Here we are presented with a quite different, more adult Nigel, surrounded by problems and a darker view of the world.  Then in Chapter 20 we return to 1978 and the rest of the novel progresses from there to a second climax.  By arranging the text in this way Nigel has given this second half a sense of leaving the naivety of youth and working towards an unavoidable truth.  The readers’ interest in Part Two is maintained by introducing two new band members, the fraternal twins Hayden and Helen Tooley, and by the working out of the details of the plot changes revealed in Chapter 19.  While this second half is not boring it lacks just a little and could have benefited by adding just a little more unexpected plot details to maintain interest. 

The tone of much of the novel is ironic, usually at the young Nigel’s expense.  In Chapter 4, for example, we see Nigel and his new friend, Ron Tuck, burning records which are popular on the charts but which they view as crassly commercial and ‘establishment:’

“The smoke swirls up into the grey sky and we watch in silence for several minutes as our innocence burns away with it.”

Later in that chapter Nigel contemplates the grief of the newly widowed Mrs. Tuck and realizes a little of what being an adult really is.  The record burning by comparison seems childish.  In this case Nigel realizes the irony but in much of the text he does not.  There is also considerable light hearted humour, especially in Part One. The “spotted dick” incident in Chapter 14 is a laugh out loud moment in a very juvenile, school boy way.  We realize we all carried on that way.

Youth and rebellion is very much the theme of The Loners.  Since the 1950’s we have come to view rebellion as a ‘normal’ part of adolescence.  Recently, however, psychologists such as Robert Epstein (The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering The Adult In Every Teen: Quill Diver Books, 2007) have come to view our whole construct of adolescence as questionable, including rebellion.  In Nigel’s novel the main character sees himself as being a part of a subversive Punk culture without realizing that it is just that, a culture in which thousands of youth say on mass, “I will rebel! I am different!”  Nigel is part of the mass, not rebelling against it.  Closely allied with the main theme is the issue of success.  Our society very much encourages us to achieve wealth and prestige.  But is this the whole of success, or even a part of it at all?  What about the rapture of doing something well?  We see the accomplishment of playing an instrument well, for example Sebastian’s bliss while playing the piano (Ch. 8).  From perhaps the opposite perspective, we see the high of literally fleeing from trouble caused by ‘bad fun’ (Ch. 1).  Girls and romance is yet another theme.  Is having a girlfriend prestigious?  Doesn’t this lead to possessiveness and jealousy?  And what is real love?

Nigel has a friendly attitude toward people and the characters in The Loners are certainly likeable.  As I have already said, we relate to these characters because we see in them ourselves as young people.   Even those characters who are destined to end up ‘bad,’ have aspects we like: their grit, their spirit de corps.  Nigel himself is analysed in depth and has a definite arc of development.  The minor characters of Angus and Terry also develop and have an important counterbalancing role to the main story about Nigel.  Most of the other characters, though, remain static.  The most interesting aspect of the novel’s characters is their blind spots, their self-ignorance.  As we have already hinted the young Nigel is ignorant of the fact that his ‘rebellion’ is in fact very much a result of following the crowd.  Similarly he does not see that his bid for success is very much driven by society’s values.  The alert reader sees what Nigel does not.

From the perspective of social analysis The Loners is an intelligent depiction of late Counterculture/early Generation X.  In Chapter 3 Nigel says that the students in his school relate to the Punk star Johnny Rotten when he says people should not have any heroes because “… they’re all useless.”  The irony is of course that Rotten is exactly that, their hero, and what is more one manufactured by entrepreneur and impresario Malcolm McLaren.  Although McLaren’s scheme may have originally been motivated by art (a counterculture comment on society), many perhaps quite rightly believe this soon became a totally cynical manipulation of the mass to make money (a decidedly Generation X aim).  Nigel soon reveals himself to be similarly quite artistically talented but also very much a wheeler-dealer.

The idea of society as a power structure which oppresses and controls the mass, as proposed by Marx and later theorists such as Foucault, is clearly represented in The Loners.  In Chapter 3, for example, we see a description of Nigel’s school and the masters as a bullying upholder of ‘the system’s values,’ right along with extreme punishment and a ‘don’t criticize the establishment’ attitude.  Similarly in Chapters 1 and 8 the Christian religion is represented as being oppressive and for killjoys, especially sexually.  We see the economic aspect of society in Chapter 1 when the boys shoplift because they have no money.  The socially deprived underclass is represented by Nigel’s “Parkwood” friends.  Class consciousness also emerges as Nigel contemplates Tuck’s mother, a woman from the upper class who marries a “postman (of all things).” (Ch. 4)

The author has included a noticeable representation of Ethnic/Racial minorities in the minor characters: Goodman the British negro, Furio representing Italians, Czcinsk a Polish Jew, and Kenny the Chinese lead guitarist in the band The Lilly Livers.  The first three are noticeably tough, branded by society as troublemakers, but from the schoolboys’ point of view this is not necessarily bad. (Ch. 5)  Both Goodman and Furio are excellent at rugby and cricket (Ch. 15) and Kenny is an extremely talented musician (Ch. 19). The kind of bigotry these minorities face is disapprovingly depicted in the actions of Chemistry teacher Moxham-Quaife. (Ch. 9)

LGBTIQ commentators will appreciate some of the text.  The character Sebastian, a keyboards player, apparently has two lesbian mothers. (Ch. 2)  The boys wonder if Sebastian is therefore gay.  In this same conversation Nigel interestingly asks his tough friend Andy, “Actually, how do you know if someone is a queer or not?  Are there signs?”  Of course ‘queer’ comes in many different colours and varieties just like heterosexuality, but the world tends to see them through very narrow stereotypes.  In a tongue in cheek parody of this absurdly limited view the author has Andy provide:

“the most damning proof of Sebastian’s latent homosexuality – the town house.  All people living in town houses, especially ones on New Road in Chatham must, by default, be gay.”

Be warned though, this is a novel about 1970’s school boys and therefore by necessity is full of homophobic accusations and aspersions.

This is very definitely a novel about males; however, there is a small contingent of female characters who are mostly portrayed in a positive light.  Lesley, the drummer Len’s girlfriend, takes a positive role assisting The Loners with her good taste in music.  Helen Tooley is an accomplished musician.  Becky takes a leading role in a local theatre production.  Only Tiffany is portrayed as a pure sex object and ‘bimbo.’  All of these women, even Tiffany, have a mind of their own and spirit.  Even Nigel’s mother is a working school teacher, rather than a house wife.  Male chauvinism is depicted negatively in the character of Len who acts like he owns Lesley and is very jealous.

The disabled are represented by the character, Terry, a “Parkwood” tough, who because of Thalidomide was born with very short arms.  Because of his lower-class background Terry is destined to a not so nice character development, however his disability is represented very positively. (Ch. 1)  Nigel emphasises Terry’s positive spirit and what he can achieve rather than what he cannot.

From a psychological perspective we see Nigel’s new friend, Ron Tuck, begin to recover from the grief of his father dying as he socializes with Nigel and becomes active in the project of the band.  The author, though, does not draw heavily on this body of knowledge.

As a final word of warning I must note that this novel is about schoolboys and thus has obscenities and minor sexual content.  Those easily offended should stay away.

All in all The Loners is a good novel full of fun and with some depth if the reader is willing to look for it.  It has much to say about life in England at the end of the 1970’s.  It is also an interesting depiction of an adolescent’s life.  The first half is particularly excellently written.

The Loners (Kindle ed.)

Sonata by Blair McDowell – Book Review

4 out of 5 stars

The music of life: practice, performance, the closing notes

Sayuri McAllister left home as a very young adult to study cello performance in Europe and then study there.  Now she has returned home as a 29 year old to find her family home in Vancouver, Canada, much changed and in turmoil.  The most prominent upset is that the family mansion, Point Grey, has been burgled and “two million” dollars’ worth of jewellery stolen.  To her surprise Sayuri finds that the burglary is being investigated by an old high school flame, Detective Michael Donovan.  How will Sayuri adjust to her family’s changes?  Should she pick up loose threads with Michael?  What is the secret to the mystery of the burglary?

Blair McDowell has extensive experience as both a musician and a university music lecturer and this book draws upon that knowledge to create a realistic picture of a professional musician’s life, particularly the stresses of true dedication.  Sonata moves along skilfully, never boring the reader.  The book is of mixed genre: part romance/erotica, part crime/mystery/thriller.  McDowell is equally skilled at both styles and her novel is quite a success.

Sonata has a fairly standard, but quite competent, structure.  As we have noted it begins at a high point which poses a number of mysteries and open questions.  The first half of the book then proceeds, as the opening questions are elaborated.  Will, for example, Sayuri even date Michael?  Extra complications and confusions are also added as the story progresses.  At midpoint there are a number of clarifications, and then in the second half there is a swift and direct progression to the conclusion, though there are still one or two confusions to trick the reader along the way.  The book ends with a peak of crisis, followed by a final chapter in which all the plot lines and themes very neatly tied up together and resolved.

The novel has an omniscient narrator and McDowell uses this technique well.  While most of the book is written from Sayuri’s point of view we are given flashes of other character’s experiences.  This reveals facts which are counter to what Sayuri believes to be true, often resulting in humour and irony.  Humour also comes in other ways.  In Chapter 3, for example, Sayuri thinks that Alyssa, the partner of her father and a woman she certainly does not like, looks “incredibly young and innocent.  Rather like the princess in a Disney version of a fairy tale.”  Along the way there are one or two “Oh my God!” moments to knock us off our chair.  One minor criticism is that McDowell twice (Ch. 7 & Ch. 16) has Buttercup, Michael’s female dog, pee “against a tree.”  Of course that is the action of a male dog: females squat.

Sonata’s main theme is balance.  We have many demands, needs and goals in our life and amongst all of these pressures we need to find some way of devoting time to all of them.  Career takes up much of our time, but as social beings we need family and friends, as well as relaxation and entertainment.  But how is this to be done?  Is it really achievable?  Closely related to this is the theme of clear thinking.  In our careers we need to rationally weigh things up, but do we always need to be like that?  Surrender to the moment, even just acceptance of the moment, can be a great release and a great source of joy.  Clear thinking, at times can become cold rationality and needs to give way to a more holistic approach to life, including our whole selves: our emotions, our longings, our unmet needs.

McDowell’s characters are certainly adequately motivated.  Sayuri is driven by her dedication to her music and feels a deep need to be “in charge” (Ch.2) of her life.  As a child she was “lonely” (Ch. 2) and we wonder if that is still the case.  She is, for a 29 year old woman, also rather surprisingly naïve about other aspects of life.  She has, for example, never had a stable home of her own, living out of suit cases as she travels on the concert tours circuit.  This aspect of her character makes her rather interesting and unusual, and raises a ‘parent’s concern’ for her in the mature reader and an immediate connection in the younger reader.  Sayuri is certainly a likable woman and we immediately care about her and want the best for her.  Michael is likable also, particularly with his boyish “lopsided grin” (Ch. 2 & Ch. 11).  He is a guy with ordinary desires and goals that men can immediately relate to.  At high school he was a ‘jock’.  He is successful in a moderate way, having achieved his personal goals, and has his moments of real command and assurance.  In Chapter 3, decked out in his new suit, he is compared to “James Bond” and indeed there are moments when this ordinary police man shines.  Michael is motivated by simple love, but with a touch of guilt and regret.  McDowell, as you can see, has made her characters complex enough to seem real.  As, for example, Sayuri comments, Michael is “a study in contrasts” (Ch. 2).  Sayuri has an arc of development that maintains our interest through the book as we wonder exactly what each next decision will be as she comes to terms with her new circumstances.  McDonald has included some interesting comparisons and contrasts between characters, such as between Sayuri and Hugh James, Alyssa’s brother (Ch. 5).  These contrasts help us see how to achieve the right balance in life that the book is so much concerned with.

Symbolism is lightly used in the book if one cares to consider it.  Ireland is referred to repeatedly throughout the text.  All of the main characters have ‘a touch of the Irish even though distantly.  The McAllister family are Irish by name.  Hugh has spent most of his life in Ireland.  Alyssa was born in Ireland, though she has spent most of her life elsewhere.  Michael’s family came from Ireland, and he has a cousin there.  This image is ambiguous, calling to mind likable notions such as ‘blarney’, charm, as well as negative ideas such as stupidity (Irish jokes) and extended internal conflict (the sectarian war).  Throughout the book we see references to Brahms’ Cello Sonata and music in general.  This symbol is also ambiguous.  As Roger Scruton points out in his philosophical work Beauty: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, c2011, p. 2-4) art, including music, can inspire us to our very best, indeed can have an almost divine aspect, but can also mask evil.  As a crime mystery Sonata is of course about getting to the truth of the matter, and as a romance it is about finding truth in love.  Clear answers, though, are not always available.  Are ‘bad’ people completely bad?  Can a question, especially one about relationships, always be answered by a simple yes or no?

From the perspective of Feminism McDowell presents three women, Sayuri, Alyssa and Nora Banks (the McAllister’s housekeeper and cook), all of whom are working women, all quite capable successful and determined, each in their own way.  Sayuri is not only a talented musician as well as a successful music teacher (Ch. 2), but is also physically fit.  In Chapter 6 she jogs quite happily next to Michael.  Sayuri is described as having an “almost boyish form” (Ch. 2).  This calls to mind the writings of the Postmodernist Feminist Judith Butler in her “questioning of notions of ‘femaleness’ which are taken for granted in society” (Cathia Jenainati.  Introducing Feminism: Icon Books, 2010, p. 163).  Quite early in the book (Ch. 3) the subject of the career/relationship dichotomy is discussed.  Betty Friedan, in her book Feminine Mystique (Reprint ed.:  W.W. Norton, 2001) argued that:

… if women learned how to juggle their various domestic duties, they would find the time and energy to engage in professional careers.  This would ensure them private and public satisfaction.”  (Jenainati, p. 92)

As many of Friedan’s contemporary feminists asked, though, can this idea practically and reasonably be achieved?  Is every woman a ‘superwoman’?  What will the actual details of this dual life be?  Some may be annoyed to find that Sayuri seems to have “female intuition” (Ch. 3), but later in the book Michael too has his own premonitions.  Male domination also appears in the book.  It is certainly mainly depicted as very undesirable.  Interestingly, though, Michael is quite praised for being old fashioned enough to open a car door for Sayuri (Ch. 2).

From the broader point of view of gender studies men are depicted as both strong and caring/emotional beings.  We do not have here the ‘stern, hard, tough guy’ so much favoured by traditional society.  Rather we see the strong, but feeling, New Age man of Robert Bly (Iron John: men and masculinity: Rider, 2001, Ch. 8) and the Men’s Movement.  Michael is a competent police detective, but very sensitive to Sayurei’s needs.  He also is an accomplished cook (Ch. 2), something that three decades ago boys certainly did not learn in school.  Sean, Sayuri’s father, is a very committed businessman, but also caring.  Emotions are not at all depicted as weakness in men as traditional society would have it.

Readers interested in the LGBTIQ perspective will be disappointed to find that it is completely absent in the book.  To be fair, though, there are only five main characters in the novel, plus 4 very minor characters (2 couples).  Perhaps a party guest, or one of Sayuri’s music colleagues, could have represented this minority in passing?

The post-colonial contingent is represented by Sayuri’s Japanese grandparents, “Sofu and Sobo Akatsuko” (Ch. 3 and following) and Sayuri’s mother, none of whom appear directly in the text.  They are all referred to as absent characters.  The difficulties of leaving one culture and entering another are discussed (Ch. 12).  It should be noted that, while respected, the Japanese culture is not idealized and comes under some criticism (Ch. 4 & Ch. 7).

The Canadian indigenous are fleetingly referred to in a reference to “Inuit art” (Ch. 2).

Other racial/ethnic minorities living in Canadian society are of course represented by Sayuri herself, who is half Japanese.  Michael reports that he experienced teasing from his class mates for dating a Japanese girl (Ch. 2).

The disabled are absent from the story, but as with the LGBTIQ, they would be harder to include because of the limited number of characters.

Sayuri’s grandparents of course also represent the elderly.  They definitely are guided by past tradition, which is both represented positively and criticised.    The tradition of the old is seen as reinforcing useful values now increasingly ignored by society, such as respect for those who have seen more of life.  Any value, though, is of course relative.  It is good to see this increasingly large, but ignored, section of the community at least referred to in the text, if not depicted.

Looking at the book in terms of society, and more specifically the Marxism/Capitalism debate we see money, career and success depicted as very important in Canadian society.  The McAllister’s world is that of big business.   Sean is a super-rich, rather driven computer technology businessman, and the family home is a “mansion” (Ch. 1 & Ch. 16).    Sayuri is also guided buy success, though not necessarily by wealth.  This wealth enabled Sayuri to go to Europe to enable her music career, and the family’s life is certainly good in terms of luxury.  It is, though, this very wealth that brings misfortune to the family through theft and other means.  The working class is represented by Michael and he is happy in his life and successful on his own terms.  He went to university on a “scholarship” (Ch. 2) and he drives a very ordinary car.  The Banks, being lower middle class, find themselves suddenly reduced to wearing uniforms like servants, though previously they were treated like one of the family (Ch. 2).  In all of this we can see a tension between Capitalist values and the Marxist critique, which tries to argue for a fairer, more humane way of life (Gill Hand.  Understanding Marx: Hodder Educational, 2011, Ch. 6).  Marx “thought deeply about the relationships between people within [ … ] society” (Hand, p. 67).  McDowell has written a book very much about these relationships.

In terms of Structuralism McDowell has written about the fundamental binary of good/bad.  Many ordinary people tend to view the world as ‘nice’ because they believe themselves to be basically ‘good’ and their lives are reasonably comfortable.  Those who have suffered, though, can easily see that this is certainly naive.  As the story progresses, however, this essential, simplistic view of life is abandoned for a more Postmodern, complex view.  Are we simply good units or simply bad units?  Surely life is organic and we are a variety and mixture of many things?

McDowell also draws on the body of knowledge of psychology to make her character and events more ‘real’.  Sayuri experiences the difficulty that many young adults have to deal with when they return home as an adult.  She notes that she is made to feel like a “guest in her own home” (Ch. 2). Surely, though she is just that, a guest, and this is no longer her home, but her parents.  She expects life at her parent’s home to be just the same as when she left, and is very surprised to see that it is not.  Carl E. Pickhardt in his article When “Grown” Kids Boomerang Home to Stay (Psychology Today: July 11, 2011. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201107/when-grown-kids-boomerang-home-stay) notes precisely this kind of “regression”, or inappropriate return to the past.  Adult children must learn to be precisely that: adult.  They need to realize that they must face the new realities of a shift in relationship with their parents.  The scenario arises, which I will not detail in order to avoid spoiling the plot, in which the victims of abuse blame themselves for the actions of the perpetrator.  The victims of such crimes have certainly been observed to suffer from precisely this kind of, “guilt”, “shame” and “self-blame” (Craig Malkin.  Why Do People Stay in Abusive Relationships?  Psychology Today: March 6, 2013.  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/romance-redux/201303/why-do-people-stay-in-abusive-relationships, and, Craig Malkin. Why You Blame Yourself for Bad Relationships – and How to Stop. Psychology Today: May 11, 2012.  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/romance-redux/201205/why-you-blame-yourself-bad-relationships-and-how-stop).  Finally it should be noted that McDowell has Sayuri repeatedly imagine that there must be some reasonable explanation to the very undesirable goings on in her life: she dismisses evil from her mind.  The psychologist and university lecturer Martha Stout, in her book The Sociopath Next Door (Broadway Books, c2005, Ch. 8) observes that this is exactly what people around sociopaths do (including their own tortured family).  As was observed in the paragraph about the Structuralist view of the book, we tend to be naive, thinking that the entire world is ‘reasonable’ and ‘nice’.

Blair McDowell has written an entertaining and interesting romance/crime novel that raises a variety of issues worthy of consideration.  McDowell looks at personal issues, such as increasing maturity and love, but also considers the wider issues of career, the family, victims of crime and society.  McDowell shows a wise and considered understanding of the life of a musician, but also of life itself.  The novel is paced and structured well, and the characters are realistic.   I am happy to award this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Sonata by Blair McDowell (Book ed.)

Sonata by Blair McDowell (Kindle ed.)

Summer Melody by Toddie Downs

5 out of 5 stars

Dancing alone?

Toddie Downs is an interesting new author and her first novel, Summer Melody, is an enjoyable and promising start to what will hopefully be a long, successful career.  Downs weaves her story with skill, taking the plot to diverse places, but, at the same time, tying things together neatly.

Jane (14 years), her cousin Meg (18 years) and Bonnie (Jane’s mother) all live in, or near, the small Connecticut town of Daedalus Falls.  In one long summer all three women will face challenges to their previously predictable lives:  Jane will tackle the problems of a first job, Meg will confront the possibility of a permanent relationship with a man, and Bonnie will be forced to confront unresolved, past difficulties with her family.  How will the sometimes traumatic events of this summer end?

Summer Melody is very much about women and almost all the characters in it are of that sex.  Downs depicts women of the past four generations.  We meet Elizabeth, Bonnie’s mother, who is a woman of the traditional, patriarchal 1950’s, now very old.  Vivian, Meg’s mother, is a child of the 60’s counterculture.  Bonnie is of the retro-conservative Generation X.  Jane and Meg are born in the period of Generation Y, with its emphasis on personal freedoms and achievements.  These generational descriptions can help us to understand Summer Melody, however, Downs has very much tried to create people and her characters are thus complex, ambiguous and sometimes contrary to the observe trends of their period.  Elizabeth, for example, very much bucks the heavy social constraints of her time, yet she has somehow come to be the typical American matriarch, so prominent in 1950’s culture, who dominates the family arena (as opposed to the male work arena).  As the novel progresses we learn more and more of her history and the complexity of her personality and her circumstances.  This is a very likable book and the characters in it are immediately pleasant and agreeable to the reader, if not perfectly so.  We care about these characters and are willing to stick with them through their trials and despite their imperfections. Once again taking Elizabeth as an example we see that we admire her feistiness and honesty, although she is often gruff.  In a similar way Jane is petulant, but deep thinking, Meg lacks commitment but is very friendly and Bonnie is overly conventional but caring.  In ‘real’ life nobody is perfect and we like our friends, but also see their faults.

Summer Melody is very much a social realism novel, though it has moments of humor to lighten the mood.  Much of this humor comes as snappy character descriptions and mood references to book, TV and movie titles.  For example in the beginning of Chapter 3 we read:

“Meg wandered around the display, assisting the mannequins in tying the aprons around their waists.  The store was beginning to resemble a scene from The Stepford Wives.”

Of course this friendly little shop is far from the shady world of that satirical thriller.  As a point of criticism, however, it should be noted that in Chapter 17 the snappy comments are misplaced.  At a point of crisis we read:

“She just wanted to fall under a sleeping spell and let tiny dwarves care for her until this was over.”

The lightness of the “tiny dwarves” clashes with the very serious mood.

The novel is written in alternating chapters: first from Jane’s point of view, them Bonnie’s, then Meg’s.  This adds considerable variety and depth to the text as we see events from different people’s perspective: we are not limited to one version of the truth.  This postmodern departure from the traditional main character, or omniscient narrator, is very welcome.  As a result different readers may come to different conclusions about the ‘truth’ of this novel.  Once again this complexity and ambiguity makes the novel more ‘real’.

In fairly standard plot structure, though, the book slowly rises to crisis at mid-point, lulls, then peaks again, ending in resolution with all the plot lines coming to closure.  There are some very real ‘Oh-my-God’ moments in this book, and a few cliff-hanger chapter endings.  This of course keeps the reader’s interest.

As the title of the novel suggests, music is an important symbol in the text.  As different characters encounter melody they find it soothing and uplifting.  We are given an idea of the rhythm of life, of joining with the flow.  The town of Daedalus Falls is very “twee,” a cut-out-town from a painting depicting past life on another continent.  We are given an image of traditional convention and past rules.  Nature imagery occasionally appears as a calm alternative to our hectic lives, however, even there trouble can lurk.

Downs has taken the main theme of personal isolation verses relationship.  At the very beginning of the book Janes meets an autistic boy, Charley, who passively sits, playing with his toys, while bullies throw stones at him.  A little later Jane musses:

“She wondered if Sam sat alone in the cafeteria in his Pittsburgh school.  Maybe Charley didn’t have it so bad after all.  Maybe the key to being different was not knowing or caring you were different.”

In our over-stimulated, numbed 21st century life maybe we are all a bit like Charley, but is this really how we should live?  Surely part of happiness involves reaching out?  This is, indeed, exactly what positive psychology teaches us.  (Martin E.P. Seligman.  Authentic Happiness: Random House Australia, 2002, p. 42-43, 56)  In the novel Jane is a loner, Meg is constantly breaking up with her boyfriends, Bonnie is divorced, Vivian, Meg’s mother, is divorced plus estranged from Elizabeth plus partially estranged from Meg, and finally Brady, Meg’s current boyfriend, has partially broken with his mother.  The characters sometimes admit that they have no feelings towards those who could be close.  Both Jane and Meg, for example, don’t really connect at all with Elizabeth.  This is denial in order to avoid being hurt.

 Religion is a further sub-theme of the book.  In religion we think of ethics (how to act correctly in relationship with others) and compassion (right attitude towards others).  If we are to choose to come out of isolation how should things really be, and, more importantly, how should we make them?  At points of crisis in the novel people pray (even though they are not Christian).  There is an important, symbolic Madonna and child scene.  Vivian is very much a Christian, though we do not always agree with her pat responses to life.  The question of mercy also is important in the book.  What is it to truly be merciful?  Bonnie, at one point admits to having a kind of free “Unitarian” philosophy.  She is ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious’ and, indeed, this sums up a great deal of the book.  To Downs’ credit these questions about life are recognised as complex and difficult, with no easy answers.  The idea that relationship is central to Christianity, the U.S.’s dominant religion, was popularized by Bruce Larson’s book No Longer Strangers: An Introduction To Relational Theology (Word Books, 1973).  This book came out of the Jesus People and the Jesus Revolution of the late 1960’s/early 1970’s.  Interestingly this is when Vivian discovered her faith and is the point which she seems, at least partly, to lack.  To sum up, Downs hints that religion, or at least spirituality, is a source of interpersonal unity.  This is certainly positive psychology’s notion.  (Martin E.P. Seligman, p. 59-60)

As we have noted this is very much a book about women and Feminists will find Summer Melody quite an interesting read.  In many ways this book documents “Second Wave Feminism” (Cathia Jenainati.  Introducing Feminism: Icon Books, 2010, p. 85-86), although it is certainly not a history book, so to speak.  Elizabeth came to maturity in the era which Betty Friedan later called “the feminine mystique” (Jenainati , p. 76, 90-94), in which the traditional view of femininity (cooking, children, frilly dresses and empty headedness) were very much in style.     Headstrong and determined, she is a pioneer feminist in a pre-feminist world.  In such a world what does it take to do what a woman really wants, and what are the costs of trying?  In her younger days, Vivian, disobedient to her mother and absolutely determined to be the complete person she is, was the typical 1960’s Woman’s  Liberationist.  (Jenainati, p. 87-89)  We wonder how and why she became the conservative, praying for the lost, ‘born again’ Christian that she is?  Bonnie is a single mother working successfully in a doctor’s office, but at the same time is a caring mother equally centered in the family.  She is the type of person Betty Friedan proposed a woman should be.  (Jenainati, p. 92-94)  Friedan’s ideas were popularized and followed generally in the 70s and 80s.  Bonnie, however, is in many ways too conventional.  She wants to do the ‘right thing’, but this often leads her to do what society says rather than what is necessarily the ‘best’ option.  Should she really be running around looking after her mother if she really doesn’t like her, and especially when it is running her ragged?  Meg is a young woman intrigued by the idea of romance but unable to find a man who, at least in her mind, does not take her for granted.  She is the type of woman Tania Modleski identified in her book Loving With A Vengeance (1982).  Leaving her imperfect boyfriends may be an act of rebellion, but is Meg’s judgements of the men she knows really accurate?  Jane, though certainly not yet a completely grown woman, is determined to be the kind of female she is.  At 14 as a hang-over Tom Boy she rejects ‘girly’ dresses, buying boys shirts and pants.  The post-modernist (deconstructive feminist) theorist Judith Butler argued that cross-dressing is “an activity which challenges the neat distinction of sex and gender which heterosexual discourse has initiated.”  She says that, “Cross-dressing provides the individual with a wider concept of gender identity which does not normalize male/female dualism.”  (Jenainati, p. 163)  But does following her very individual course mean that Jane necessarily has to be the social isolate that she is?  As we can see Summer Melody has things to say that has much to do with later feminism, however, nothing is taken unassessed and unquestioned.  We all take a philosophic stance towards life, whether or not we see ourselves as philosophers, but taking a line, whatever it may be, always has both its pros and cons, its extremes and its difficulties.  Despite all that I have just written I certainly want to stress that this is not a ‘heavy’ book in any way.  Downs manages the difficult feat of being very entertaining while at the same time giving information and insight.  We in no way feel we have been lectured.

By contrast to the Feminist perspective, except for Jane, who is not really transvestite as far as we know, LGBTIQ characters are completely absent from the novel.  This is a noted oversight as lesbianism has been both the accusation of patriarchal traditionalism against Feminism, and indeed any woman who does not fit in, and the vaunted, pet theory of radical, left Feminism.  In today’s world we know quite well that is virtually impossible to live life without knowing LGBTIQ people, though they may be closeted.  Where are these people in Down’s novel we ask?  She is in other respects so realistic.

People of African descent do get a mention, though they are minor characters.  Carla, Meg’s employer, is African/Jamaican/American.  She is the successful owner and manager of “Yesteryear’s Vintage Clothes,” and is likable, supportive, understanding and a true friend.  No negative images there, but we could wonder if Downs has erred in making Carla too perfect.  Rodney, the “colored” old people’s home attendant, endures Elizabeth’s bigotry.  He is understanding and rises above others' abuse, but is not above a touch of ironic humor.  Like Feminism, the issue of the African/American minority is handled in a questioning, balanced way.  Because of his naively liberal beliefs, Brady, Meg’s boyfriend, very much suffers at the hands of a gang of lower-classed, “colored” youths.  Brady then wants to move to the very white Daedalus Falls because it is “safe.”

Other cultural minorities are absent, which once again is a bit of an oversight as for long periods the U.S. has had a positive immigration program.  We also ask what of the indigenous U.S. nations?

The old, as an oppressed minority, is briefly touched upon.  As Rodney and Bonnie talk about her in her presence Elizabeth comments, “I’m right here.”

This leads us to consider the novel from the broader perspective of society in general.  The notion that money is power very much occurs in the lives of Elizabeth and Mona.  Equally the issue of conformity is strong in the lives of Bonnie and Vivian.  This conformity enshrines upper and middle class power, but also holds real people in a narrow cell.  All this of course is just what the Marxist critique proposes about the U.S.  Marxist Feminism proposes that economic equality of the sexes and freedom for women is necessary for females to truly develop their own potential and power.  (Jenainati, p. 98-99)  Summer Melody is a Middle class and Upper class novel: Lower class women are completely absent.  Marxist Feminists criticized the Woman’s Liberation Movement because it only pursued goals relevant to those classes (Jenainati, p., 100, 114-16) and they would possibly frown at Downs for her oversight.  In her defence, however, it certainly should be noted that this book is specifically about people connected to Daedalus Falls, a decidedly white, moneyed traditional place.  People from there would certainly tend not to mix with the Lower class, or even notice them.  Interestingly the place where Bonnie and Vivian grew up, “MacArthur Country”, on the Ohio/Kentucky border, is conventional, slow and inefficient, but on the other hand very friendly.  Once again things have their pros and cons, though they are especially relevant to the issue of isolation verses relationship.

From the perspective of psychology Summer Melody is a quite successful book.  By far the most important insight which the novel gives is that relationships are complex.  As children we tend to divide the world into ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’ and unfortunately for a lot of us this inclination can hang on into adulthood, although not so simplistically.  We all do and say things we regret.  Even our ‘best friend’ will at times disappoint us.  The real question is how do we respond to these difficulties and what will be the impact on other people.  The plot line about Brady is psychologically correct and insightful.  Although it is never explicitly stated he clearly suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Downs certainly seems to have done her research here.  Beyond that special case the issue of general stress is handled well.  We see that people tend to deny stress and that this can have quite bad results as time goes on.  Most importantly on this point we all need to talk about our difficulties in a positive nurturing friendship (Judith Orloff.  Positive Energy: 10 Extraordinary Perceptions For Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear Into Vibrance, Strength, And Love: Three Rives Press, Ch. 8) and that is exactly what these women do: support one another.  Also physical touch, as simple as a hand on the shoulder, or a more adventurous hug, gives us real support in times of stress.  (Orloff, p. 7-8 & Ch. 5)  Of course problems develop when we don’t talk, in order to resolve our issues, directly with those people we have difficulties with.  Once again Downs is well researched and psychologically correct on these points.  Of course this is not a textbook on stress.  It is an entertaining story about people.

Summer Melody is an enjoyable, insightful and balance novel about women.  Readers are left with the feeling that they have come across something close to life.  If you are a man with an open mind this book can, in a pleasurable way, help you to better understand what it is to be a woman.  If you are a woman you will immediately feel kinship to these characters and you will also be gently guided to think deeper about your experience as a female.  Despite all I have said about Feminism, Marxism and social history this book is first and foremost pure pleasurable reading.  This is not a musty, scholarly tome in any way.  It is well worth a 5 out of 5 star rating.

Summer Melody (Book ed.) 

Summer Melody (Kindle ed.)