The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, or as I would like to call it,—How Not to Lose It When Your Treasured Man-Made Extremity Disappears Into The Ethers.

 

The Violin Conspiracy

Author: Brendan Slocumb
Publish Date: February 1, 2022
Publisher: Anchor Books
Page Count 352
Mystery, Coming of Age, African America

"Music is for everyone. It's not—or at least shouldn't be—an elitist, aristocratic club that you need a membership card to appreciate it's a language, it's a means of connecting us that is beyond color, beyond race, beyond the shape of your face or the size of your stock portfolio."  

"Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. If he’s lucky, he’ll get a job at the hospital cafeteria. If he’s extra lucky, he’ll earn more than minimum wage..."  Anchor Books partial Synapsis

However, Ray had a gift, it started when he was in high school, it didn't stand out like the other kids in his orchestra class, it was hidden, it was looked down upon by his family, however, Ray wasn't a quitter. His gift was played on a school rental, it was overlooked because of the color of his skin. Kids in the orchestra were cruel, as kids can be to anyone, especially to someone who doesn't fit the mold of what someone is supposed to look like to love and excel at classical music. Ray's gift created a dream in him. One his mother especially belittled. Luckily, Ray had someone who loved him, supported him, and saw the specialness of not only Ray's gift, but also of Ray as a whole — his grandma, Nora. She was one in a million! She was his cheerleader, his inspiration, and his positive role model. His grandma had a gift too, which she gave to Ray one Christmas covered with "Good Luck Dust". The Violin Conspiracy is Ray's story, his progression, his trials, the bigoted-ness of other musicians, patrons, store owners, and yes, even police officers which in Ray's world is nothing new, and yet, never gets easier to handle or understand. As grandma Nora advises, "Work twice as hard as everyone else, stand tall and treat others with respect, and stay the same 'sweet Ray' that she loved so much." 

As a daughter of a Violinist, and a dabbler in classical piano myself, I can not even fathom how my father would've handled being without his violin if it was stolen. I imagine he would've been devastated. His music would've been lacking some semblance of his soul. He might have even stopped playing all together without that other extremity connected to his left arm, hand, and chin. His violin is unique, however, it's definitely not the jewel that was hidden under a ton of Rosin like Ray's violin. 

The Violin Conspiracy was filled with so much racial profiling by those who knew, met or even glanced in Ray's direction.  I found it disgusting and tragic.  This is not about the author's writings, this was a humanity disgust. A struggle inside my own soul to understand how anyone could feel this way towards another human being.  Ray's struggles, and successes were frustratingly beautiful as he tried to find a path to his one dream — to be a professional violinist.

"...Ray will have to piece together the clues to recover his treasured Strad . . . before it's too late. With the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray's great-great-grandfather asserting that the instrument is rightfully theirs, and with his family staking their own claim, Ray doesn't know who he can trust--or whether he will ever see his beloved violin again." Anchor Books Partial Synapsis

I was so inspired by Ray's performances in my mind that I had to search out and listened to every Classical, and Jazz song that was mentioned in the book. I thank, Author Brendan Slocum for adding so much beautiful, emotional listening to my week. I think my co-workers were sick and tired of my playlist even though they learned a lot about culture. Some who had never listened to classical music had to admit it was "moving" and "soothing" and a lot more "enjoyable" than they ever thought it could be. I smiled and said, "You're Welcome". 

The writing, as expected is lyrical, moving, and brings in so much bass (low notes) and treble (high notes) you feel as if you are in the midst of a composer, composing a musical masterpiece. Which is exactly what Mr. Slocumb does. Some of the experiences Ray experiences are what Mr. Slocum himself went through. It definitely is timely and spurs such great discussions for a book club to pick up and read.

 When talking to a Black friend of mine, I asked him if he had read the book, he hadn't, and I asked him if he would.  I knew he his own rude experiences in life and when it came to trying to excel at his own musical journey. He read The Violin Conspiracy, then we had another discussion about race and living in the 21st Century. He explained to me that so much of his journey echoed that of Ray's when it came to the condescending comments, looks, experiences, and expectations of what he would play at his own performances at cafes and pubs, however being in Utah it was done in a less obvious way.  It broke my heart and yet, didn't surprise me at all. How have we not moved past seeing someone for their character instead of skin color in the year 2022?

I have to admit that The Violin Conspiracy is my favorite book read in the last six months. I recommend it to whoever will listen to me talk about its storyline without ruining the story itself. Because of that I know there are a lot of readers out there that will read this book that might not have without that recommendation as it's not some RomCom. If you love a good mystery, a good realistic story, and a story that will uplift you, bring some beauty and emotion to your life The Violin Conspiracy is what you should be reading next. 

"You're Welcome."

Mystery, Classical Music, Imagery and Emotional elements