Nothing Else by Louise Beech

Heather Harris is a piano teacher and professional musician, whose quiet life revolves around music, whose memories centre on a single song that haunts her sister, who was taken when their parents died, aided on by her childhood her. A song she longs to perform again. A song she wrote to drown out the violence in their home. A song she played with her little sister, Harriet.

But Harriet is gone ... she disappeared when their parents died, and Heather never saw her again.

When Heather is offered an opportunity to play piano on a cruise ship, she leaps at the chance. She’ll read her recently released childhood care records by day – searching for clues to her sister’s disappearance – and play piano by night ... coming to terms with the truth about a past she’s done everything to forget.

About the author

All six of Louise Beech’s books have been digital bestsellers. Her novels have been a Guardian Readers’ Choice, shortlisted for Not the Booker Prize, and shortlisted for the RNA Most Popular Romantic Novel Award. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice. Louise lives with her husband on the outskirts of Hull.

Follow her on Twitter @louisewriter

Review

I would read anything that Louise Beech writes. She jumps genres as if she is Colin Jackson and excels at each one! How does she do this?!!! This time we have turned to women’s fiction so to speak and although this isn't something I would normally read I thoroughly enjoyed it! Two sisters are torn apart, and mix in a love of music and it proved to be a hit for me. I especially loved that there was a playlist at the start of the book! That is something I always wish there was more of. When you see a song mentioned in a book I always tend to jump to Spotify to play it. I feel it enhances a book and this time it made it for me! I was able to listen to Chopin whilst the scene played out and it was beautiful. I just wish there was a place I could listen to ‘nothing else’ as I'm sure it would be spectacular.

All the way through the book I kept thinking to myself that despite the difference in creative outlets, there was a lot that I resonated with in this book. It's only been recently in my late 30s that I have embraced my talent of reading and writing and embarked on a career as an indie bookshop owner. That was my jump to find myself and Heather’s was to get her care records and go work on the cruise ship. I enjoyed reading Heather’s journey as it progressed through the book but the scenes that drew me in were where the girls are young. Those sections although heartbreaking had this sepia tinge of beauty to the writing. There was a ‘distance’ I felt as a reader. Oh it's hard to explain. The way the music was a blocker for the girls from the violence and the writing was a blocker for the readers. In a way to protect you but still get the message across. Does that make sense?

This was another belter of a book from Louise and I loved it!