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serendipitysbooks 's review for:
Mix Tape
by Jane Sanderson
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For some reason I’m drawn to the concept of “the one that got away”. I went into this book knowing it focussed on that and that music played a big role. What I got was a lot more and a story that definitely hit me. Alison and Dan were teenage sweethearts in Sheffield and music played a big part in their relationship. Then Alison simply disappeared. Thirty something years later they reconnect over Twitter. He lives in Scotland, is married with an 18 yo son and works as a music writer. She’s also married, has two daughters, lives in Australia and her latest novel has hit the big time. But they don’t tell each other any of this. Instead they communicate via music and simply send each other song links.
***The rest of this review contains spoilers***
This is a book that doesn’t avoid the heavy and the complicated. The reasons behind Ali’s sudden disappearance are heartbreaking - alcoholism, rape, homophobia and attempted suicide all factor in. And the question as to what you can and should do when you reconnect with an old flame is certainly not easy when there are partners and children involved. I really appreciated the author’s not shying away from the hurt and upset involved or trying to pretend such decisions are easy ones to make. The novel also had a strong sense of place and some memorable supporting characters.
This book really hit the mark for me and I enjoyed it more than it might objectively merit. But that’s the thing with books isn’t it? Everyone’s taste is different and timing can also play a big part in how we perceive books. Music lovers, especially fans of music from the late 1970s, will probably enjoy this one as will people happy to nostalgically look back at a teenage romance. Those for whom unfaithfulness is a dealbreaker should probably give it a miss.