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The Song is Youby Arthur Phillips |
Arlene Almas: This is an unusual
love story about Julian, 45, separated from his wife due
to his emotional withdrawal after the death of their 2-year-old
son, and Cait, a beautiful young Irishwoman he hears singing
with a rock band in a small bar, at the very beginning of her
climb to fame. His pursuit of her begins in a low-tech manner,
consisting of cartoons drawn on bar coasters giving her some
advice on her music (Julian is a director of commercials and
has expertise in this area), but as their attraction to each
other grows their relationship moves into the high-tech realm
of e-mail, voice mail (both verbal and musical), videos, and
website postings. Face-to-face meetings are planned but
never materialize. Julian is Cait's mentor and lover;
their love affair, although emotionally real, is conducted
almost entirely virtually, across Brooklyn, Manhattan,
Europe, and cyberspace. I see this as a very contemporary
story of love and frustration, and one that draws the
reader completely into the protagonist's heart and mind.
Rating: ****
