The Music Shop

This was a delight to read! Be sure to check out the corresponding playlist on Spotify!

It's 1988, and Frank owns a music shop, vinyl only, if you please. CDs are taking over the record market, and the shop is in a seedy part of town. But Frank doesn't care; his heart is in music, and he has a gift of finding just the right music to help people through difficult times. One day, a woman shows up in his shop, dressed in green, and, unexpectedly, she passes out. It is Frank who helps her come to, and he finds that he has let this woman into his heart, something he never wants to do. Who is she? What are her secrets?

A magical story of music and relationships. I read the book all in one day, and part of the fun of reading the book was listening to the playlist posted online while I read it.

This book made me really, really mad. I hate books that are described as “love stories” when the relationship between the two main characters doesn't even come close to resembling real love. I will admit that the sections devoted to music are well done, and while I might not agree with Frank's interpretations I appreciate the absolute joy he takes in each diverse piece.

The rest of this rant will be hidden due to spoilers.
So we're supposed to love Frank because he finds everyone the right music and tries to help perfect strangers. But when he meets Ilse he is in turn shy, rude, long-winded and finally cruel. This is supposed to demonstrate that he is IN LOVE and doesn't know how to handle it.Why can't Frank handle love? Well, because he had an evil mother who taught him all about music but never did any maternal things like show him warmth and affection. But his mother's ultimate sin happened many years ago, when she encouraged his high school girlfriend to have an abortion instead of letting the teenagers get married. Never mind the fact that the couple were probably too young to have a baby or make decisions about their future, it was EVIL. And then his mother left all of her money to charity instead of to Frank, who as a grown man really should have been able to support his own damn self. Get over yourself, Frank.And what are we to make of Frank's true love, Ilse? She faints when she first sees him. She's shy and does a lot of listening as he expounds on music. For some unknown reason she can fix mechanical things. But other than that one characteristic, she's basically a cipher who Frank loves because...well, because he just does. Every time he turned her down I wanted her to smack him around or stand up for herself, but what does she do? More than twenty years later, she drops everything and goes looking for him, spending all of her time and energy to find him and capture his attention. Does he finally come to his senses? Does it matter? The two never really had a real relationship, just a series of one-sided encounters in which he mansplained and admired, and she listened adoringly.

The secondary characters are quirky, as they usually are in this type of novel, but at least I was more invested in seeing them find some level of happiness than I was in Frank finally getting his head out of his butt. I realize I am in the minority here but I found this book more disturbing than charming.

Sweet, but not cloying.

‘'The silence at the beginning of a piece of music is always different from the silence at the end.''

The blurb of this beautiful book contained two words that won me over on the spot. ‘'Music'' and ‘'1980s''. I was born in 1985, so technically, I am a child of the 90s, but I think that these two decades share the same spirit of a certain kind of innocence, before the coming of the new millennium and all the ‘'gifts'' it brought (yeah, right...) I'm not a big fan of the music that conquered the 80s, but when I happen to listen to a chart-hit of the era, I travel back to my childhood and the parties when we were 9-10 years old.

Joyce pays homage to the beauty of the vinyls, the nostalgia that is connected with them, before the shiny CDs took over. Personally, I never liked cassettes, although God knows we had more than we could count. In this story, we find ourselves in London, during the last years of the 80s and in a music shop that sells vinyls exclusively. Frank, the owner, is surrounded by a quirky set of characters who aid him in his struggle to keep the spirit of the neighbourhood alive against modernity. One day, a lovely young woman, wearing a green coat and with her hands hidden in gloves, faints right outside his shop. And his life begins to change.

Now, the blurb may make us think that this is going to be a light, carefree read. Essentially, a romance. It isn't. Not entirely, at least. And most definitely, it is not a romance. It is a story that contains a heart-warming, tender, well-constructed relationship, but to call it a ‘''romance'' wouldn't do it justice. In my opinion, this is Contemporary Quirky Fiction at its best. (...I just made up a genre in order to justify my silly definition, but anway...) Each character, from Frank to Ilse, to the various customers who have been helped by him, is integral to the story. There are personal stories of sadness and pain, of hope and joy and remembrance, people trying to soothe their wounds and keep the memories alive through music. This is what Frank regards as his mission.

The characters of Frank and Ilse are the best example of how an author can create a romantic relationship that will touch even the sworn enemies of anything romance-related (...that is moi...) Frank is loyal to his job, somewhat a loner in the extreme, and perhaps a bit too empathetic and stuck to the past. A realistic protagonist that you wish you had as your friend back in that day. Ilse is sensitive, bright, kind and with a heavy dose of mystery trailing behind her.Initially, I thought there would have been an element of magical realism in her, that's how ethereal and mysterious she seemed. Father Anthony (loved him to piece, he is everything a priest is supposed to be), Kit and Maud consist Frank's ‘'gang'' and they are as sympathetic and weird as you can get. Maud wasn't much to my liking, I didn't have any sympathy for her attitude, but to each their own...I am a bit of a potty-mouth myself, but she seemed to be continually disrespectful

Joyce writes in a manner that is immediate, fresh and lyrical at the same time. She provides a treat for every lover of music. At the mention of every composer, every singer, every band, I could hear the notes partying (or waltzing or praying) in my head. I was reminded of all the extraordinary music creations the human mind has conceived. Even the quality pop-rock of the 1980s and the 90s...So it triggers a major level of nostalgia for an era when a singer didn't have to appear on stage, dressed only in the underwear or in a meat-dress in order to become famous or to make up for the lack of any talent. I give extra points for the reference to ‘'Beata Viscera'', my favourite hymn to the Virgin Mary. Also bonus points for what I consider the most beautiful piece to come from Iceland, ‘Heyr, Himna Smiður'.

For me, the major question of the novel has to do with the strength of our principles. Frank refuses to go with the flow, if it means betraying his ideals and all he is living for.Why should modern times demand of someone to become an altogether different person? Why should we offend what we don't agree with and look down on those we consider ‘'old school''? This is very relevant in our current times with politics, religion, society in general. Some of us stick to certain values. If others consider it ‘'Ancient History'' that's all very well, but respecting different opinions should be a bidirectional thing. So, as you see, this book definitely gives you plenty to think about.

This is a book that will appeal to practically everyone. The music lovers, the fans of the 80s, the followers of the vinyls, the Londonphiles, the readers who wish for a contemporary read with something to say and themes we can all relate to. I even forgave the somewhat ‘'cheesy'' ending:)

‘'I heard the things you told me. The birds and the storm and a dog barking. I heard a summer day.Thunder. I heard the wind. People slipping on ice, and then falling asleep by the fire.''

Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.