The Trumpet Lesson

March 30, 2020
Romain’s enchanting debut delves into the complex personalities of two friends living in the mountains of central Mexico. Callie Quinn is an anxiety-ridden expatriate American nearing 50, and Armando García is a vivacious 30-year-old orchestral musician. Both are transplants in Guanajuato; Armando settled in the town to be near his mentor, the local symphony conductor, and Callie, who works as a Spanish and French translator of technical documents, decided to buy a house there after visiting the town’s museum. After Armando hears about Callie’s translation skills, he requests help from her with French grammar to better correspond with his French lover. Armando is consumed by worries about his missing dog and long-distance relationship, while Callie works to build a serene new life amid painful memories from her early years. Callie is a stabilizing force in Armando’s life, and his charisma helps her confront her debilitating shyness and its quirky manifestations, such as her habit of mentally alphabetizing her seasonings when she’s stressed. Armando arranges trumpet lessons for Callie, and playing the instrument provides her with some relief (“It was addictive, that sensation of resonance”). Romain’s insights into the characters’ flaws enrich this story of friendship, along with prose that is sometimes droll, often fervent, and always engrossing. This is worth a look. (Self-published)Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated two plot points.