Light From Uncommon Stars

Lovely quick read. I love queer "finding yourself" narratives, which this definitely is. But it's not smarmy or trite, the character and the story has quite a sharp edge to it. The fantastical and sci-fi angles elevated the storytelling quite a bit.

But what I liked best was all the music details, the violin construction and the video game music and the Bartók sonata for solo violin. Clearly the author has some depth here, or good research, and it augments the narrative well. The climactic chapter with our hero performing brilliantly had me really excited and compelled, the writing is almost shatteringly beautiful there (like the music!).

This book has some energy in common with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I liked them both in a similar way, the connection to young people with genius and talent.