After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks."
But nothing is what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along....
***
Chopsticks is a brilliantly different read. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and in the case of this book it's definitely true.
Chopsticks tells the story of young pianist Glory and the budding relationship she develops with the young and artist Frank, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Glory is in a troubled time in her life. Since the death of her mother she retreats into her music and her father pushes her to play professionally and go on a world tour even though Glory herself would rather not do it due in part to her relationship with Frank. As the tour goes on she starts to slip up and play chopsticks in the middle of her high-brow concerts. This starts of being a small problem which can be dismissed away but one day something snaps and it's all she can play before she is dragged off stage by her father and institutionalised.
This book is really interesting as it is told through a series of pictures instead of through prose. Those pictures give it a cinematic feel and leave a lot to interpretation for the reader and makes for a totally different reader experience to a traditional novel. Highly recommended for someone looking for something a little bit different.
Comments