I almost stopped reading The Song Is You because I haven’t been that motivated to read lately, and it seemed like it was going to be a sappy, unrealistic romance between a middle-aged man who’s not quite divorced and a hot 22-year-old singer. But, oh! The twists! Or rather the stagnation where there should be twists! And when I say stagnation, I don’t mean it in a Victorian prosey way that would put you to sleep even after a few shots of espresso, but referring to the action part of the plot. So very little actually happens outside the characters’ minds. But in their minds whole lives are created, and the most mundane occurrences are showered with significance, often incorrectly. Kind of like real life.
It’s a very good story, all in all, but you’ll need a high tolerance for uncomfortable situations — there are plenty of “oh, no — don’t do that!” moments. An intense love of music will also make this enjoyable book even more enjoyable. Phillips has gone so far as to incorporate song titles throughout his prose for your trivial pleasure — I didn’t know it until I read the note at the very end, or might have picked up at least a couple.
