C. Linden Thorp’s captivating new book, “Never Stop Singing to Me,” is an exquisite piece of creative nonfiction beautifully weaving the author’s remarkable life experiences into poetic prose. The book is enhanced by the beautifully crafted jacket by Japanese artist Mariko Kinoshita. The setting for the story is the foothills of the French Pyrenees separating France from Spain. In addition to the visceral, spiritual, and often poetic tone, the author has incorporated medieval philosophy, heritage, and symbolism.
The first chapters introduce a nameless storyteller who shares thoughts in the first person while communicating with another person. For some time, neither character is identified, except that they are both dedicated musicians of renown. Without names, we feel they are isolated souls moving in and out of one another’s minds, music symbolizing their feelings and personalities. A flashback to their first meeting at a music conservatory intensifies their relationship for Sasha, the narrator, while Gabrielle indulges herself in the drama of operatic diva recordings.
A surprising introduction to the power and fear of scorpions sets the contemporary story in motion with conflict between the two main characters. The reader learns that Gabrielle and her family ancestry is Jewish, originally from Russia, while Sasha comes from a Roman Catholic, Spanish heritage. Both are medieval music specialists studying the ancient ways of teaching and performing music: Sasha is a string player, Gabrielle is a well-known vocalist, and both taught young musicians. Now, they desire to learn 15th-century naturalistic techniques and have moved to the high, rural mountains to understand how modern emotions are blocking traditional knowledge and find happiness which they had lost in the city. The metaphor of valley to mountain top is significant to the story. The two women are determined to become reflective, understand primitive life, and learn from the past.
Gabrielle falls during a blizzard and is seriously injured. While Sasha is tending to her, she dreams or hallucinates a sensuous backstory of Na Fabrisse de Caramany, a renowned minstrel or trobiaritz of the region. Could an ancestral spirit have been released into Gabi’s mind through the accident? The magic and mysterious power of storytelling is allegorically used to interpret the two main characters’ relationship and the power of music. Love and death are explored through the secondary story with direct references to the conflict between the Roman Catholic church and the witch hunts of the medieval Good, also known as the Cathars. The Inquisition of heretics encompasses secondary characters, as does a send-off vigil for the Crusaders en route to the Holy Land.
Thorp’s writing will delight wordsmiths with its poetic, sensual imagery and psychological challenges, but it is sometimes overdone. The theme that stories are an “essential element of being human” will haunt the reader long after the conclusion.
If you like romance novels, you will love “Never Stop Singing to Me.” It is an intriguing novel that will steal your heart. The brilliant storytelling of C. Linden Thorp keeps you turning the pages as she brings relatable characters to life and seamlessly intertwines their tales. It is a captivating story exploring the power of music, faith, hope, and the miracle of following your heart.
Reviewed by: James B
|