Book review: Facing the music of the past
M L Rio utilises two time frames to tell a story of the excitement and perils of the rock and roll lifestyle. Picture: Helena Santos
- Hot Wax
- M.L. Rio
- Simon and Schuster, €19.99
It’s not often that a writer’s debut novel takes the internet by storm, but M. L. Rio’s Shakespearean murder mystery catapulted the writer to stardom.
Many readers even cite the queer thriller, released in 2017, as responsible for the resurgence of the dark academia aesthetic.
Now, the bestselling author shifts gears with her highly anticipated second novel, , a gritty, grungy slow-burning ode to rock and roll more than seven years in the making.
is split into two parts, aptly titled the A sides and B sides, a clever reference to vinyl records.
The decision is an early indication of the importance that music plays throughout the book, both on the page in the form of lyrics and off, simmering in the background.
The A side timeline takes place back in 1989, introducing readers to the protagonist when she is just 10 years young.
Suzanne spends most of her childhood living with her overworked mother, Nora, in a cramped Baltimore apartment, while her father Gil is constantly on the road chasing rock and roll fame.
One afternoon, while she waits for Nora to finish work at the mall, Suzanne wanders into the local record store, drawn in by the hypnotising rhythm blasting through its speakers.
Her relationship to music is complicated thanks to Gil’s empty promises, and daring to play tunes out loud only serves to remind her mother of his desertion.
But Suzanne can’t resist the booming melodies, no matter how sacrilegious the act, and soon she builds up a collection of tapes, which she squirrels away between the couch cushions at home.
“But music soured whenever Gil was gone, and these days he was gone much more than he was home. As soon as the door closed behind him, Nora changed the station to talk radio or turned the receiver off. Without him, the too-small apartment was too quiet, too still.”
It’s not long before Nora and Gil’s relationship fizzles out, and soon Suzanne has a new stepdad, but she still feels a strong pull towards the hardcore world of music.
When Gil offers her the chance to tag along on a concert tour that has the opportunity to change everything and finally put his band, Gil and the Kills, on the map, she jumps at it.
But the exciting life of a rockstar is not all it cracks up to be, and it’s certainly no place for a child.
The B side storyline jumps forward 29 years. Suzanne has done everything she can to distance herself from the chaos of her father and the rock scene.
She trades the tour bus for a quiet suburban home, marries, and tries to build a stable life. But trauma has a habit of tracking you down and never stays buried forever.
When Gil suddenly dies and leaves her his beloved, heavily modified bright yellow Ford Ranchero as inheritance, Suzanne has no choice but to face the music.
Leaving behind her mild-mannered husband and the life she worked so tirelessly to create, she sets off on a road trip to retrace her past and to finally seek the answers she has been long avoiding.
is an electrifying triumph of a novel with a raw, emotional core, finely crafted by the talented M. L. Rio.
The rock and roll lifestyle might not be for everyone, but reading about it absolutely is.
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