A review by onegalonelife27
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Schloub has done it again, weaving a musical mystery! I truly enjoyed this one. 

One day, Dr. Bern Hendrix gets a mysterious call from the spokeswoman of the Frederick Delaney foundation, founded by one of America’s famous composers, to come over to their office. When we are introduced to Frederick Delaney and his work, I honestly got a bit jealous. I would love to hear this music talked about, especially the masterpiece “Five Rings of Olympia” an opera in five parts Delaney wrote. Yet with the last one, “Red”, the original draft was lost and Delaney could only write a subpar version afterwards. Yet almost a century of its disappearance, the first draft is found and The Delaney Foundation wants Bern to transcribe and make it performance ready. One thing that makes it tricky is the series of drawings, known as Delaney doodles, are used to indicate how certain parts are to be played. So he asked one Eboni Washington, computer expert and former colleague of his to help look over the drafts, hoping to decipher the doodles. Together they discover that the doodles, and perhaps the music itself, are tied to a Josephine Reed, a Black woman barely mentioned in the foundation’s archives. So thus the search for Josephine Reed starts. 

Just as the modern duo are left with more questions than answers, we get a shift back in time to meet Frederick “Freddy” Delaney. A young man with a love of music and ambition, but who lacks talents to match that. After one event, he happens to meet “Crazy Jo”, Josephine, a neurodiverse Black woman, and after hearing her play, he begs for lessons. Soon enough, his talent takes off and a friendship begins. However, when he discovers her own talent for composing songs, he wastes no time in transcribing and putting his name on the music, claiming music by a Black woman wouldn’t sell. For a while, this arrangement works for both of them. Yet the more and more famous Delaney now “Fred” gets, the more and more pressure he puts on Josephine to keep coming up with music that she doesn’t get credit for… 

And just as Bern and Eboni discover the role Josephine had in the music, the Delaney Foundation begins to crack down on the both of them, wanting everything they found on Josephine and will do whatever it takes…

With the point of view split between Bern in modern times and Delaney and Josephine’s in the late 1910s to early 1920s, we get tensions on both sides. Bern basically worships Delaney, due the Foundation helping underprivileged kids get a chance music, known as Delaney kids. Bern is one of those and has focused his life to studying Delaney work. Yet not only discovering his idol is not who he thought he was, but also facing the tactics the foundation pulls to halt his research on Josephine. Bern’s arc is gripping as we see someone more starry-eyed about the world, slowly realizing harsh truths but not letting that stop him from revealing the truth, especially with Eboni at his side, no matter what. Delaney starts out as a kid with a dream, trying to make it in the big city, and does really care for Josephine at the beginning, and Josephine is at first overwhelmed but happy to have the stability and chances to hear music Delaney gives her. Yet as “Delaney” music grows more and more popular, we see a devolution? Character regression? Not sure what the proper term for what Delaney goes through to become the man he becomes, but it is interesting. And Josephine’s own story is both inspiring and heartbreaking, I’ll say that, the ending provides catharsis for both Bern and Josephine.

If you like a different kind of mystery, complex characters, and overall justice prevailing and righting the wrongs of history, I highly recommend this one!   
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