Book Review: The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

“You don’t want to sell cassettes? I get that. But CDs are new. They’re shiny. It’s a lifestyle thing. And they’re virtually indestructible. You can drive over them and they still won’t break—”

“Why would I want to drive over my music, Phil?”

Rachel Joyce, The Music Shop

Review:

In 1988, we meet Frank, a lonely vinyl shop owner. He has a knack for matching people with the right piece of music. Although deeply attuned to the emotional needs of others, he prefers to keep his distance. Even more so, he wants to keep CDs far away from his shop. Rejecting modern advances in the music industry makes fighting off developers increasingly difficult. 

When a woman named Ilse faints in front of his shop, Frank finds himself drawn to her. Still, he remains reserved, not wanting to get hurt by letting any sort of relationship go too far. A tremulous upbringing has kept his guard up even now in his 40s.

Though I found the storytelling fragmented and difficult to latch onto emotionally, I did love the nostalgia that flows throughout the book. It’s not often that I see such specific references to this era of music (along with many mentions to classical pieces, as well as songs and artists decades prior to when the book is set). I also enjoyed the witty humor, and it was a great mix of characters/personalities. A nice read for music buffs!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The music nostalgia.
• A lovely group of characters.
• Witty.

What I didn’t like:

• Hard to follow the plot.
• The emotional pacing was off.

Afterthoughts:

While I wouldn’t claim to be a full-blown vinyl collector myself, I absolutely understand the sentiments in this book. Nothing beats it!

Where to buy the book: