Night Music

January 28, 2019
In the mostly white world of classical music, 17-year-old Ruby Chertok seems like a crown princess. Her father is a composer and teacher, her mother is a pianist, and her three older siblings are musicians. But after failing an audition for the summer program that her father runs, Ruby wonders who she truly is. Then her father’s new protégé arrives: he’s handsome, super talented, and staying in their basement. He and Ruby connect immediately, but can Oscar really date his mentor’s daughter? More pressingly, the school’s board, headed by Ruby’s godmother, wants to position African-American Oscar as the answer to its diversity problems, even if it means misrepresenting and stereotyping him. Thorne (The Wrong Side of Right) keeps a complex plot moving—encompassing Ruby’s reconnection with a childhood friend, her fraught relationship with her absent mother, and Oscar’s drive to compose work—while convincingly depicting the casual racism of seemingly well-intentioned liberals. Given all this, a thread about the board’s financial chicanery seems almost superfluous. At heart, though, this is a timely and romantic story about teens who feel like fish out of water finding the person who understands them. Ages 14–up.

In a youthful tone, Sarah Beth Goer narrates a stunning coming-of-age romance that is an exquisite listen for any music lover. Defined by her family's musical genius, privileged 17-year-old Ruby Chertok tries to escape her legacy--until she comes face-to-face with her father's prodigy and new tenant, Oscar Bell. Goer's dynamic performance ranges from the soft, innocent tones of Ruby to the low, quirky voice of Oscar as she successfully captures the raw emotions of first love muddled by racism and greed. Goer's narration is music to the ears as she captures the social pressures that arise from this blooming romance. Listeners will agree this narration is noteworthy. E.P. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine