The Color of Sound

     "Don't tell anyone you can see music as colors.

     Don't tell anyone you can hear colors as music. 

     Don't tell anyone you're Jewish."

     Emily Beth Isler's The Color of Sound reminds me of a symphony. Just as the different sections of the orchestra enter and merge, building up to a rich and complex crescendo, the individual strains of the narrative enter and merge, building up to a rich and complex story. 

     This is very fitting because an important strand is music. Rosie (12) is an elite musician. She plays violin 🎻 at a level most adults can't achieve. Her mother's full time job is managing all aspects of her professional life. There are drawbacks to her proficiency. It leaves her no time for other interests like art or pre teen activities. She's on strike, much to her mother's dismay. 

     Another strand is synesthesia. Rosie can hear colors and see music. It's an aspect of her personality that her mother tells her she should keep a secret. 

     The third strand is family and religion. As punishment for her strike Rosie has to spend six weeks with her mother at her grandparents' home. Her grandmother whom she hardly knows is dying. Her one request of Rosie is that she play the Hungarian song. As she tries to discover what it is she learns a lot about her ancestors and their fait

     And could the strange girl she keeps meeting up with in a shed be her mother's time traveled pre teen self?

On a purrrsonal note, for only the fifth time in about ten months I cooked supper for Eugene and me. Surprisingly it came out really well. When he came home after a long work day Eugene was very happy to see.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

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