REVIEW: “The Music Shop” – Rachel Joyce

I’ve been a fan of Rachel Joyce ever since I read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, so when I learned that she had written a book about music, I was ecstatic.

I devoured this book. It met all of my expectations, and more. I’ve always believed in the power of music, how manipulative, joyous, and heart-breaking it can be in a matter of minutes. Intertwine that with a poignant love story and exquisite narrative and you’ve got yourself a winner in my book. (Pun most definitely intended.)

Frank owns a shop in a rundown street, selling his extensive collection of vinyl records. We also get to meet some of the neighbouring shop owners, and I loved seeing how these misfits interact and form relationships. I fell in love with all of them, especially Kit. (Read this and try not to fall in love with the endearing and bumbling Kit. You will fail.)

But Frank’s shop is special. He has the uncanny ability to know exactly what piece of music a person needs to hear. They will come into his store in need of musical medicine, and Frank always manages to find the perfect cure. He hears music when he looks at them.

Until the enigmatic Ilse Brauchmann walks in, and everything changes.

If you like music, quirky romance, and a heart-warming story, The Music Shop is the perfect little world in which to escape, as well as giving you an excellent playlist of things to listen to. And if you haven’t read any of Joyce’s other novels, I highly recommend you do so.

“The silence at the beginning of a piece of music is always different from the silence at the end.”