A review by serendipitysbooks
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

 Symphony of Secrets is a cleverly structured, well-told, engrossing novel that explores the issues of race and gender, as well as their intersection, within the arena of classical music. In the current day Bern Hendricks, a music professor is asked to authenticate a just discovered musical score, a long-list masterpiece by Fredric Delaney, a prolific and famous modern composer. Roughly one hundred years earlier we follow Freddy Delaney, a struggling musician, and his relationship with Josephine Reed, a neurodivergent Black woman. I really enjoyed the portrayal of Josephine, her neurodivergence and her unique abilities. I was fully invested in the characters and the self-serving entitlement of Delaney and The Delaney Foundation definitely raised my blood pressure. I was not 100 % convinced by the power of the Delaney Foundation though. At times I found the present day storyline a little too over-the-top and thrillery to be credible. But boy was I 1000% cheering at Bern and Eboni, not just for taking the foundation down but for the wonderfully satisfying way in which the did so. What I was convinced by was the music. So much so that I really wanted to race to Spotify and download The Five Rings of Olympia, Bring Back the Moon and more. Alas, I must rely on my imagination. Another minor quibble is that, at times, the book it is felt a tad too-long. Having said that I’m still eagerly awaiting whatever Slocumb writes next. 
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