The Song Reader

Silas House author of A Parchment of Leaves A stunning debut by a major new voice for her generation. Margot Livesey author of Eva Moves the Furniture [A] sparkling debut...delightful and engrossing. John Dufresne author of Louisiana Power & Light [A]n achingly beautiful and bittersweet tale.

She can hear the music in peoples' souls. Mary Beth and her younger sister Leeann are trying to support themselves in their small Southern hometown. So Mary Beth works to make ends meet by practicing her own unique talent: "song reading." By making sense of the song lyrics people have stuck in their heads, Mary Beth can help people make sense of their lives. In no time, Mary Beth's readings have the entire town singing her praises, including the handsome scientist Ben, who falls hard for Mary Beth and her unearthly intuition. What happens when she can't make out the lyrics? When Mary Beth reveals a long-muted secret in the community, however, she turns off the music and gives up song reading for good. Soon everyone's lives are out of tune: Leeann worries she'll never graduate from high school, and Ben can't conduct his experiments. Without Mary Beth's music the town's silence is louder than ever. Could it be that all the lyrics to all those foolish love songs really aren't so foolish after all?