A review by just_one_more_paige
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 
This is outside my normal genre, as I'm not really a mystery/thriller reader, but sometimes it's nice to mix things up. Plus, as has been pretty clear with my recent reading choices, I'm in a "keep it light and quick" reading space right now, to balance out a more stressful IRL work situation right now.  and I am not sure where I heard this but it somehow came across my radar, that this is written by a local (to me) author. I mean, all within the state of NC, even though our actual homes are almost two hours apart. Close enough. I do enjoy reading things where I recognize some of the locations and references and that doesn't happen too often. And apparently, I am not alone in that, because the waitlists for this audiobook at all my libraries were loooooong. But I finally got it! 
 
Despite the fact that no one else in his family understands (and in fact they're mostly downright unsupportive), Ray McMillian loves, more than anything, playing the violin. As the only family member who's ever expressed any interest in the instrument, his grandmother gives him a family heirloom for Christmas one year, his great-grandfather's fiddle. Ray treasures it, his connection to his family history and his grandmother and the chance to really pursue a career as a professional musician. When he discovers that it's actually a priceless Stradivarius, everything changes: his family comes for the violin, other families' claiming to be the rightful owners bring lawsuits, and Ray's musical star rises quickly. On the eve of the international musical competition, that he is set to travel to Russia to compete in, the violin is stolen. This novel traces the path Ray's life took to get him to this point, the history of his family in America (and how his great-grandfather came to be this priceless instrument's owner), and the search for the stolen fiddle in conjunction with Ray's preparation for the Tchaikovsky Competition. 
 
Alright, I know literally nothing about music or instruments, and especially not classical music. I have read one other book that had violin and classical music as a primary theme (Light From Uncommon Stars) and I loved it, even without any musical background/context. So I was pretty sure I'd be fine with it here. And, while I'm betting that knowing more about the techniques and pieces being referenced throughout would have made it an even more robust reading experience, I can also say that not knowing more didn't impede my enjoyment of the story. In fact, that framework for the overall plot felt really interesting. And really, one of the highlights of the entire book was the clear and profound love that the author has for the violin and classical music. It was so clear in the way he writes playing the instrument and the stories each piece tells in sound. It's not something I can directly relate to, but the emotion and connection were so real, and I loved that for him and loved reading it for me.        
 
Obviously racism is an inescapable part of the reality of the United States, but the combined/alternate widely recognizable and very specific ways it shows up in the world of classical music was    something I can't say I'd ever considered before. The general structural threads are, of course, common, but there were some ways they played out that were unique. Parts of reading this filled me with dread because I could guess what was coming (like the Marks family "claim" on the violin) and knew it was going to be hard to read and feel terrible. But it needs to be seen and addressed regardless. The way that  the history of slavery and intergenerational family heirlooms and racism were interwoven in this way was well done. Also, seeing Ray's internal reactions feelings about the conspicuousness of being Black in this arena, the constant questioning of why you’re there (talent and being “good enough” or as a PR thing/media stunt), was similarly important and also quite (unfortunately) salient what with the recent Supreme Court rulings. Ugh. 
 
Some final thoughts. My biggest issue was that the dialogue was sometimes pretty clunky and not super natural. If I had to guess, that's due in part to it being a debut novel. But dialogue is a major thing for me and a few times I got pulled out by it here. The emotional yo-yoing made sense, but was exhausting to read in a way that felt more repetitive than profound here. Perhaps again related to it being a debut. There was definitely more backstory development than mystery solving aspects for the majority of the book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (I was invested throughout), but I want to mention it to help set accurate expectations. I think I had guessed the thief (kidnapper?) by about two thirds in, but it was still worth reading all the way. The ending itself was clean, but satisfying. I loved the relationship between Ray and his grandmother Nora; it was *all* the full-hearted feels. I also loved the Author's Note at the end (I do really enjoy when those are good and add something to the overall experience of the book). And, since I read the audiobook, I have to mention the music interludes between sections. I have no idea what pieces/artists they were, but they were a great addition to the ambiance. 
 
This was a really original and fascinating read. It had some aspects that could have been better, but more in a technical sense, something that may grow and come with more experience and publications (and I do believe he has a second book out already so I'm sure it's smoother there!). As far as a well-plotted story, original aspects and fascinating details, and a lighter reading experience (though still well-grounded in reality), it delivered. 
 
 “Second, he learned that doing what you loved may not be enough, that all the passion and perseverance that roared like blood within you could be trumped by factors that you could never control – factors like the color of your skin, or the shape of your eyes, or the sound of your voice.” 
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