BOOK REVIEW: A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker @berkleypub @sarahpinsker #asongforanewday

In a dystopian world where public gatherings have been made illegal, one woman raises her voice to stand up for the power of music, art, and human connection. A beautiful story that will definitely speak to the heart!

About the Book

In this captivating science fiction novel from an award-winning author, public gatherings are illegal making concerts impossible, except for those willing to break the law for the love of music, and for one chance at human connection.

In the Before, when the government didn’t prohibit large public gatherings, Luce Cannon was on top of the world. One of her songs had just taken off and she was on her way to becoming a star. Now, in the After, terror attacks and deadly viruses have led the government to ban concerts, and Luce’s connection to the world–her music, her purpose–is closed off forever. She does what she has to do: she performs in illegal concerts to a small but passionate community, always evading the law.

Rosemary Laws barely remembers the Before times. She spends her days in Hoodspace, helping customers order all of their goods online for drone delivery–no physical contact with humans needed. By lucky chance, she finds a new job and a new calling: discover amazing musicians and bring their concerts to everyone via virtual reality. The only catch is that she’ll have to do something she’s never done before and go out in public. Find the illegal concerts and bring musicians into the limelight they deserve. But when she sees how the world could actually be, that won’t be enough.

Reflection

I am one of those rare people who, although I absolutely like music, don’t tend to listen to it much. I’m usually listening to audiobooks or podcasts! But even I can say there is something about music and having that in common with another person that can be magical. Often, I find that listening to music with others gives this sense of shared experience, where the emotions each person is feeling are in sync, even if they are different. Our hearts elevate together and calm together.

The idea of not being able to connect with other people is a terrifying one. In A Song for a New Day, a terrorist attack on a major stadium just before the band takes the stage leads to a decision to make public gatherings illegal. It is to help keep people safe. And yet, what sort of life are people living in the wake of this decision?

For Luce Cannon, she feels like she has lost her place in the world. Primed to take the stage before the attack, she now has no where to go. Her family turned her away when she needed them most, and now she holds small illegal concerts, trying to find a way to reconnect with others.

Rosemary Law grew up in the world that has banned public gatherings. She has a job that requires no contact with humans at all. Her first experience with a virtual concert fundamentally changed her. So when she takes a new job finding musicians and organizing virtual concerts, Rosemary is forced to go out in public. And when Rosemary finally experiences not only the power of music, but the power of human connection, she may be the voice that can make a difference.

I wasn’t prepared for how much this book would effect me, but its such a beautiful story. The idea of missing out on those connections with others—that is a powerful story! Seeing Luce lose her way, and Rosemary begin to discover what she has so long been sheltered from made me really think about the world we live in, and how virtual connections can’t quite replace what we get from real human connections. This one is full of heart!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.