A review by bookedupandbusy
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

This novel is phenomenal. I was in awe of the storyline and completely obsessed. When I was away from the book, I was constantly thinking about this story. 

The story is set in two time periods; present day, as we see Bern, who is a university professor, contacted by the family of one of his favourite composers, Frederic Delaney, to help recover some music that was not completed during Delaney’s lifetime. We are then taken back to 1920s where we meet Delaney and discover how his music was written… with the help of a black woman named Josephine 🙄

There are so many themes covered in this book and they are beautifully executed. We see the differences between the status and race of black and white people within the music industry, but three things stood out to me the most:

1. The manipulation of a vulnerable black woman.
2. The appropriation of black music.
3. The care taken to write a neurodivergent character.

Josephine is 30 years old, she is neurodivergent; although she required routine and guidance, she was smart and talented when it came to the composition of music. Unfortunately, she placed her trust in the hands of the wrong person. I have never seen a character such as this written with such care and attention to detail. She doesn’t have much dialogue but I was still able to engage deeply with her character and empathise with her. I could have read a full novel on Josephine’s life alone. 

I had tears at the end of this story, it will stay with me for a while. This is the second title I have read from this author (the first being The Violin Conspiracy) the author levelled up with this one.