Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

Author : Lisa Genova
Title : Every Note Played
Published : 2018
Publisher : Allen & Unwin
Pages : 320
Genre : Contemporary fiction

     An accomplished concert pianist, Richard has already suffered many losses in his life: the acrimonious divorce from his ex-wife, Karina; the estrangement of his daughter, Grace; and now, a devastating diagnosis. ALS. The relentlessly progressive paralysis of ALS begins in the cruelest way possible - in his hands. As Richard becomes more and more locked inside his body and can no longer play the piano or live on his own, Karina steps in as his reluctant caregiver. Paralyzed in a different way, Karina is trapped within a prison of excuses and blame, stuck in an unfulfilling life as an after-school piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman. As Richard's muscles, voice and breath fade, the two struggle to reconcile their past before it's too late.

     If I 'm being completely honest before picking up Every Not Played my knowledge of ALS was entirety wrapped up in Steven Hawkins. Beyond that, I had never really given it much thought. So when this came into my view I thought maybe it was time to learn a little more about the subject. But for me, it also goes a little deeper than that. As someone who has more than once experienced the downfall of a loved one's health I was curious to see how Genova would and could translate this across to the written page.  For me at least when I went through it I was driving completely on emotions alone. It is a terrifying place to lose your self in, a world where you feel completely helpless. 

     I suppose you would be expecting the lead in this book to be a very likable character so as to pluck at the heartstrings of the reader right. Well, that's the thing about Richard if I'm being completely honest he's kind of a dick. This is a man who has spent his whole life thinking about himself trying to prove he is the best at what he does. No one knows this better than his long-suffering ex-wife and daughter. People who should have come before all else but were pushed to the sidelines. But I think this for me was a stroke of genius on the part of the author.  It forces you to take a good cold hard look at the way such illnesses can take hold no matter who the person. That when we say I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, do we mean that. It is a hard thing to witness someone's life be pulled apart piece by piece and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop it. Once it has started it is a downward spiral to an inevitable conclusion.  

     For me this was a very clever book, It takes you to place that for me at least I would not think about it. The thought of slowly getting trapped in your own body is one that terrifies me. And this is how the author I think creates genuine sympathy for an otherwise fairly unlikeable person. She goes into the very gritty in's and out's of who ALS takes hold of your body. What it's like to be able to see and feel these things happening to your body. I think it is far scarier than anything thought up by the likes of Steven king. But it is not just Richards's view on this we get, we also see it from Karina and their daughter Grace. How they, in turn, react to someone they have come to hate being diagnosed. It is the toll it takes on those around them and how heartbreaking no matter the circumstances it truly is. The tentacles of long term and fatal illnesses can stretch far and wide and affect so many things in our world. It is also a book that makes me glad I live in a country with a health care system. The bills alone are a scary thing. It is a book that found something deep inside of me and brought up emotions that had been buried for a while. It is still one of the hardest things I have ever gone through. 

     For me, Genova has crafted an amazing piece of contemporary fiction. She has conveyed the true horrors of not only living with such an illness but the sadness and melancholy that seeps into the family members who are witnessing it. It is a book that for me felt so very real in its excision. At no point does she try and sugar coat her story trying to keep as close to the real world as she can. It is a book that will break your heart and give you no real cushion to absorb some of the blow.