Heather’s Bookshelf: There Was Music
Author: J.D. Grubb
Released: 09/04/20
Genre: Literary Fiction with a touch of Fantasy
“The darkness returned, but she felt no malice in it. From somewhere beyond echoed the song of a waterfall dancing upon rocks. For the first time since she could remember, she slept without dreaming.”
“There Was Music” is an extremely dark story that follows the life of a young woman named Rhoda. She becomes known as prisoner 43-1-12 and much of the story takes place during her jail sentence, but what leads up to that part of her life is just as powerful and disturbing.
As I said, this story is dark and really hard to read at times. There are so many absolutely horrible things that happen to this girl that it’s amazing that she makes it as far as she does. Her character is amazingly strong, determined, and resilient and I so wanted her to find some happiness.
The beginning of the book reflects back on stories of her present and past events. They are intertwined in a way that it keeps you turning the page to find out how it is that she found herself in jail. The descriptions of the events are quite vivid and the insight into the protagonist through the past well done. The rest of the story delves into her present and is really quite heartbreaking.
Trigger Warning: Rape, sexual assault, torture, suicidal thoughts
Overall, I found this story hard to read and difficult to put down at the same time. The story is touted as a fantasy and is set in a fantasy world, but the themes of the story are so dark and disturbing that it does not seem like such a fantasy story. Ultimately, the story is about a young woman being broken down (more than any one should ever have to bear) and then fighting and clawing her way toward her new self. Many of the ancillary characters were also very well developed and memorable. I especially appreciated the connections to Opal and Bard that Rhoda was able to make amidst absolutely horrible circumstances. I enjoyed the direction of the ending but wish that it had been a little more resolved. For such a complicated and tumultuous journey, the ending felt like it was left a little open.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A dark and disturbing look into one woman’s trials, tribulations, and survival.
Want to learn more about the author? Check out my interview with J.D. Grubb
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