Thank You, Goodnight

May 15, 2015
This very funny, deftly done debut follows Teddy Tremble, once a famous rock star, now a stodgy lawyer. When Teddy comes face-to-face with a less than flattering photo hanging in London's Tate gallery, labeling him a has-been, he is suddenly overtaken by the old fire to write songs. Then legendary producer Sonny Rivers gives Teddy's new music the green light, and Teddy decides to get the old band back together. His drummer is a devoted teacher and family man and must be cajoled into giving it one more try; the highly dysfunctional lead guitarist, who is living in his ex-wife's basement, has been waiting for this moment for years. Meanwhile, the female bassist, Teddy's long-lost love, who never had much use for the trappings of the rock-star lifestyle, just wants to play music. With a good deal of compassion and a great eye for the comic detail, Abramowitz delves a little deeper here than is typical of a rock 'n' roll novel. Teddy struggles to let go of the ambition and self-aggrandizement that led to the band's implosion, and his rebirth is a pleasure to behold.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)