*Beach Music

bc beach music

“Beach Music,” was November’s book club pick.  I had the book for at least a year, and decided to make it a book club selection ensuring  I would read it.  I actually love Conroy’s books, but its takes a commitment.

Jack McCall leaves his hometown of Waterford  to raise his daughter in Rome after his wife committed suicide by jumping off a bridge outside Charleston, South Carolina.  After the funeral, his wife’s family tries to take custody of his daughter, Leah, claiming that Jack was responsible for the suicide of their daughter,  Shyla.

Conroy is so good at the rhythm of relationships, and all of the intricate relationships in this book ring true.  The only slight exception might be young  Leah, she seems to be the wisest adult in every situation she’s in, but she’s just a little girl.

Jack escapes to Rome and we watch as Jack and Leah  begin their life without Shyla.   They are enjoying a beautiful, heartfelt relationship while Jack heals.  Leah was so young when her mother died that she doesn’t remember her.  With the backdrop of Rome, and the Italians who have gathered around this small family, Jack does begin to mend.

You feel Conroy’s love for his settings in his sweeping bucolic descriptions. Only the human characters seem to make a mess.   I have been to Charleston, South Carolina many times and it is everything Conroy portrays it to be.

It’s the characters that bring an unsightliness to the otherwise  pastoral backdrop.   The protagonist, Jack is lured back to his hometown by his mother who has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Conroy sets a story in motion that is quick, unrelenting in its scope, and at times surprising, involving Jack’s entire family and his childhood friends.

We visit the past of the main characters in flashbacks and gain insight to all their tragedies. There are survivors of the Holocaust and there are survivors of the Vietnam War, and Conroy links these wars in a way that has not been done before.

Redemption and healing, family dynamics and family dysfunction,  the beautiful scenery of  the South Carolina coast and the undeniable majestic city of Rome all come together to create Conroy’s grand story of a family, a very passionate family.  You will smile, laugh often, cry, but most importantly you will feel the characters just like they are part of your family.

The novel has numerous discussion possibilities, from the Vietnam War, the Holocaust, families, death, mistakes, redemption and healing.  It’s a long book, so let your book club have a few months to finish it – you will not be disappointed.

Rating: 8.5

 

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