Today I am delighted to be taking part in the first day of the blog tour to celebrate another wonderful book from Louise Beech, Nothing Else. I also have a great giveaway with the chance to win a print copy of this novel. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. Heather Harris is a piano teacher and professional musician,
whose quiet life revolves around music, whose memories centre on a single song
that haunts her. A song she longs to perform again. A song she wrote as a
child, to drown out the violence in their home. A song she played with her
little sister, Harriet.
But Harriet is gone … she disappeared when their parents
died, and Heather never saw her again.
When Heather is offered an opportunity to play piano on a
cruise ship, she leaps at the chance. She’ll read her recently released
childhood care records by day – searching for clues to her sister’s
disappearance – and play piano by night … coming to terms with the truth about
a past she’s done everything to forget.
An exquisitely moving novel about surviving devastating
trauma, about the unbreakable bond between sisters, Nothing Else is also a
story of courage and love, and the power of music to transcend – and change –
everything.
My Thoughts
A new book by Louise Beech always comes with a frisson of excitement. You are never quite sure which genre she is going to have chosen this time! There is a mystery at the heart of Nothing Else which dates back into the childhood of two sisters. Their childhoods were blighted by their bullying father but the love they had for their mother and the ties they felt for their family kept them going. Music was a huge source of comfort and for one of them, Heather, and it has extended into her adult life. The younger sister, Harriet disappeared from the children's home they were housed in after the tragic death of their parents. Trauma seems to have come in waves for Heather.
This is a powerful exploration of siblings, and of trauma, grief and loss. As Heather reads portions of her social care notes which she has requested, you understand the powerlessness which she must have felt as a child as decisions were made for her and information withheld. Although there are some poignant and emotional moments, you are also struck by the resilience which characters show. There is also a strong message of survival and hope for a better future. Highly recommended.
In short: family trauma, loss and renewal
About the Author
Louise Beech is an exceptional literary talent, whose debut
novel How To Be Brave was a Guardian Readers’ Choice for 2015. The follow-up,
The Mountain in My Shoe was shortlisted for Not the Booker Prize. Both of her
previous books Maria in the Moon
and The Lion
Tamer Who Lost
were widely reviewed,
critically acclaimed and number-one bestsellers on Kindle. The
Lion Tamer Who Lost was shortlisted for the RNA Most Popular Romantic Novel
Award in 2019. Her 2019 novel Call Me Star Girl won Best magazine Book of the
Year, and was followed by I Am Dust.
Thanks to Louise Beech, and Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
Giveaway (UK only)
To win a print copy of Nothing Else just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!
Closing date is June 8th 2022
and there is one winner.
*Terms and Conditions –UK only. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
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