The Lost Love Song: A Novel

Romance with a gimmick, but it's a good one. Arie loses the love of his life, the beautiful pianist Diana, in a tragic way. Before she dies, she plays a love song she wrote for him in a hotel lounge and is overheard by a weary traveler. He's transfixed enough by the melody to share it with his teenaged daughter when he returns home. Eventually the song travels around the world and has a significant impact on everyone who hears it. Meanwhile, two years later, Arie is unable to move past his grief until he meets the temporary lodger next door who inexplicably is playing a tune on her guitar that Arie can't quite place...

There's a bit of Love Actually to the book, as the chapters about Arie and the guitar player (who's really a poet named Evie) are interspersed with brief glimpses into the other characters whose lives are transformed by the song. I liked the way the stories covered different types of love (parental, filial, romantic) and the intriguing links between the characters. And of course the critical question: will the song ever find its way back to Arie and Evie and help them find the HEA they deserve?

The only problem is that the inclusion of these “interludes” means there is less room to devote to Arie and Evie's relationship. Although there are some beautiful, heartbreaking passages about love and loss, and the climax is definitely swoon-worthy, there were not enough scenes showing the two of them together to really understand why they were perfect for each other. So I ended up admiring the writing style and the plotting, but not quite fully engrossed in the love story.

This would make a great movie if they could find someone to compose a melody with the power to transform lives.