Chris and Andy Fairley couldn’t be more opposite—Chris, an uptight, ever-pessimist, and Andy, a go-with-the-flow hopeful. Their glory days seemed long behind them since their moderate success as a folk-rock duo and their relationship with each other fizzled out in the mid-1980s. But when their hit song is unexpectedly chosen for a Japanese car commercial, the men are given one last shot to revive their fame and friendship.
They embark on a tour across Japan, but soon find their venues are far from glamorous: a wedding reception where they're asked to play their hit on repeat, a flower farm gift shop, a windy sculpture park, and a restaurant where customers catch their own fish. As tensions between the brothers rise and a strange reporter begins following them all around the country, the men aren’t sure if the band or their relationship will survive.
The Fairley Brothers in Japan by David Starkey will be published September 16, 2025. Keylight Books and Turner Publishing Company provided an early galley for review.
A story of two musicians from the '80s as well as the creative cover caught my attention. This is also the first of the author's published work that I have come across (Starkey, as director of creative writing programs at Santa Barbara City College, has written several books on the subject).
I will admit that when the first two paragraphs of the prologue each contained single, long and complex sentences, I was a little concerned. But rather than react to first impressions, I decided to settle in to see where this might take me. I found it an interesting choice to go with descriptive chapter titles rather than straight-forward numbering. I also liked the technique of using interviews to convey details of the brothers' past to avoid expository dialogue. Starkey was coming across as an author who plays by his own rules.
The narrative journey across Japan is very detailed and specific (I have to wonder if this book came out of a trip of his own). I certainly came away with a bit more understanding of the geography and some of the landmarks of the island nation.
I came away from the work with some insights in my own writing craft.
No comments:
Post a Comment