Review: Every Note Played

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Get the Kleenexes ready.

And make sure you listen to this in audio because it will give you THE FEELS.

Richard is a concert pianist at the top of his game--he's performing in the huge halls and getting all the beautiful women. But when he suddenly starts to lose dexterity in his hands his life is shattered--he's diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS. I've always heard of ALS and didn't know much about it, but, whoa, you'll learn all about it in this novel. Richard tries to make it on his own but he needs help quickly as his body starts to give out. His ex-wife, Karina, visits him and is shocked with his decline. Without speaking about it, he moves back into their family home and she takes care of him. As someone who recently nursed someone through ICU and rehab, this part hit home. I was bawling in parts of the book that wouldn't bother some people, but the emotional exhaustion is easy to remember. Care taking is hard. Karina and Richard had a history and a child, but there is so much drama and regret and words that need to be said.

This book is hard to categorize. It isn't a romance. It isn't a disease story. It isn't a music tale. It's just a darn good LIFE HAPPENS story. No regrets, people.

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