Bookworm: ‘Crow Valley Karaoke’ – You’ll sing its praises
“The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships”
- By Ali Bryan
- c. 2023, Henry Holt Books
- $27.99, 304 pages
The acoustics in your car aren’t the best there is, but they’ll do. Who need fancy equipment, a stage, or even a microphone when you’re belting out songs for an audience of a few passengers or for just yourself? Who even needs to know the right words? In your car, you’re singing for fun or for joy, you’re not, as in the new novel “The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships” by Ali Bryan, singing for your sanity.
Dale Jepson should’ve been there.
This was supposed to be his year. He was supposed to sing his heart out and win the karaoke contest in the small town of Crow Valley, but that would never happen. Dale was a firefighter and he died last year, helping someone else.
Roxanne, Dale’s widow, couldn’t shake the idea that Dale was coming back. She couldn’t raise her boys alone. She couldn’t fix the deck or mow the lawn. In the meantime, she kept Dale’s ashes in a thermos, and she talked to them all the time.
Molly Chivers felt responsible for Dale’s death, but she didn’t dare say it out loud. She said she ran out of gas and he died bringing her more – but she lied. She didn’t run out of gas, she just said she did and she wasn’t sure why. Mothering four rambunctious boys was more than she could take. Motherhood sucked her life away.
Over at the Crow Valley Correctional Institution, Officer Val Blanchard wondered how the karaoke competition was going. Her husband, Brett, was supposed to sing and Val wasn’t sure if she cared or not. He had an affair awhile back, and Val wasn’t sure if she wanted her marriage anymore, either. What she really cared about was finding another drink.
She also thought too much about Marcel, one of the inmates at the Institution. He knew it, too, but he was more interested in watching his captors, because the minute Val or someone else looked away, he was going to run ...
Here’s the best advice you could get, regarding the story inside “The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships”: don’t overthink it. Enjoy the characters and the situations in which they’ve found themselves. Fall in love with one or two of them. Look for the spit-out-your-drink, clever bon mots that author Ali Bryan sneaks into random scenes. Just don’t overthink the plot.
If you do, you might find yourself a bit overwhelmed. There’s a lot going on inside this novel and while that’s not an unpleasant thing, it can make you wonder if there’s ever going to be a point to this tornado-like madness. There is, and it arrives, but in bits and pieces until everything comes into focus. This is a book that takes patience.
You won’t be sorry if you give it that. The loose-ends tie up nicely, eventually, and don’t be surprised if at least one of them takes your breath away. Don’t be surprised, either, if you end up loving “The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships, or that you’ll sing its praises.
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The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. She has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. Terri lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books. Read past columns at marconews.com.
NEW MUST-READ BOOKS
In search of something good to read. USA Today’s Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for the hottest new book releases.
“The Sun and the Void”
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What it’s about: Reina and Eva, two women on the fringes of society, embark on a quest into a world of ancient magic in a fantasy world inspired by the folklore of colonial South America.
The buzz: ”The lush worldbuilding and delightful blend of love, betrayal, and curses set the stage for a powerful and promising new series. This is a gem,” says a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
“Prom Mom”
- By Laura Lippman
- William Morrow
What it’s about: Amber Glass, aka Prom Mom – the girl infamous for allegedly killing her baby on prom night after her date Joe dumped her – is now an adult trying hard to distance herself from her tabloid past. But when she’s drawn back into Joe’s orbit, will she repeat her toxic past?
The buzz: Publishers Weekly calls it a “gripping thriller” and praises its “devilishly satisfying conclusion.”
“One of Us Is Back”
- By Karen M. McManus
- Delacorte
What it’s about: The third book in the bestselling “One of Us Is Lying” series finds the Bayview Crew trying to move on after Simon’s death, but a new game starts with an ominous billboard – and a startling disappearance.
The buzz: ”A satisfying and hopeful closer in a masterful trilogy,” says Kirkus Reviews.