The Music Shop

November 13, 2017
Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) has a winner in this deceptively simple love story about Frank, owner of a London hole-in-the-wall music store selling vinyl records in 1988. Adamant about not selling cassette tapes or CDs, Frank is a loner raised by an eccentric but loving mother who taught him to cherish all kinds of music. His extraordinary gift is knowing the precise song people need to hear at a particular time in their lives, and his musical selections have miraculous results. Frank’s small circle of friends own shops on this out-of-the-way street: Maud, who secretly pines for Frank, has a tattoo parlor; ex-priest Father Anthony sells religious artifacts; the twin Williams brothers run a family funeral business. Frank’s life is upturned when a mysterious stranger, Ilse Brauchmann, appears outside his store and promptly faints. The magical trajectory of Frank and Ilse’s relationship is nicely balanced against the thread about a threatening real estate company that wants to destroy Frank’s tiny store. Joyce’s odes to music—from Aretha Franklin and J.S. Bach to Puccini and the Sex Pistols—and the notion that the perfect song can transform one’s life make this novel a triumph.

Listeners will be glad to discover kindhearted vinyl devotee Frank, who has his own music shop in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood. His patrons are a cast of quirky, lonely characters who gather to receive his musical suggestions, always tailored perfectly to what they need to hear at that moment. When a mysterious woman shows up, Frank finds himself drawn to her but scared to emerge from his own solitude. Narrator Steven Hartley's raspy, unrefined, British accent is a natural fit for characters who are rough around the edges. His narration underscores the psychological states of the ragtag group--which range from contemplative to anxious to angry. The story and the narration complement each other and remind us that music can bring people together and allow them to heal. S.E.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine