Rough Music (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
For his fortieth birthday, Will Pagett is given a holiday at a cottage near the sea in Cornwall. When he decides to take his parents along (his mother is showing the early stages of Alzheimer's and thinks a vacation will do her good), they realize that they might be staying in the very house they have thought of as nearly having torn the family apart long ago. As the drama and suspense of the current trip escalate, the family painfully begins exploring what exactly had happened all those years ago, and this nearly tears it asunder, especially because history seems to be repeating itself. In the meanwhile, Will finally comes to explore his dreams, admit his weaknesses, and decide what he really wants out of life. The novel tells parallel stories by alternating chapters set in the past and in the present; each is a gripping tale, all the more so because the reader knows that one presupposes the other. Gale's rich prose captures nervous energy, impatience, and suspense remarkably well.Michael SpinellaCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.