The Song Remains the Same

The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch
Penguin Group, 4/12/2012
Advanced Reading Copy, 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9780399157585
http://www.allisonwinn.com/

Description:

One of only two survivors of a plane crash, Nell Slattery wakes in the hospital with no memory of the horrific experience-or who she is, or was. Now she must piece together both body and mind, with the help of family and friends, who have their own agendas. She filters through photos, art, music, and stories, hoping something will jog her memory, and soon, in tiny bits and pieces, Nell starts remembering. . . .
It isn't long before she learns to question the stories presented by her mother, her sister and business partner, and her husband. In the end, she will discover that forgiving betrayals small and large will be the only true path to healing herself-and to finding happiness.

 

My Thoughts:

 

In The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch, Nell Slattery is one of only two survivors of a plane crash. She awakens in the hospital totally vulnerable because she can not remember a thing about her life. Nell must rely on others - her mother, sister, husband, and friend - to help her piece together the facts of her life. The question is how much of what they are telling her is the truth and how much is how they want things to be? How much information are people withholding from her? How much should she trust her inner voice, her own instincts, when she has nothing to based those feelings on?

 

As Nell recovers she discovers not only that people may not be telling her the whole truth, but that she doesn't really want to be the person she was. She wants to look at her survival of the tragic crash as a way to further her understanding of who she is and what she wants out of life.  Nell wants to start over and explore and develop a whole new fabulous self. She wants to enjoy her new life... but is it really possible to change?

 

Music plays a vital role in the novel. When giving her photos and favorite DVDs, Nell's sister does something else that is essential to the story: she puts a mixture of songs Nell enjoyed on an iPod. It becomes "the Best of Nell Slattery." Each chapter is a song title from her play list. Nell's life and her memories are intricately linked to the songs she listened to. As Nell tries to untangle the truth, the songs help unlock memories.

 

In many ways The Song Remains the Same follows the same formula as a mystery. Nell must follow the clues she is given to try to figure out what is true. At the same time it is a character study as the character tries to pry loose the clues about her past. While the novel flagged a little, especially when Nell's focus turned to finding her long absent father or clues to why he left, Winn-Scotch did a nice job pulling it all together in the end.

 

Allison Winn Scotch's website includes an excerpt and a reader's guide.

 

The Song Remains the Same is highly recommended.

 

Quotes:

Since I have an advanced reading copy of The Song Remains the Same, in lieu of quotes an excerpt from the finished book can be found at:

http://www.allisonwinn.com/excerpt-song/

Allison Winn Scotch is the bestselling author of Time of My Life. A former freelance magazine writer, she has written for Glamour, Parents, and Men’s Health. She lives in New York City with her husband and their two children. 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: For the TLC Book Tour and review purposes I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher. 

 

Allison Winn Scotch’s TLC Book Tour Stops:

 

Tuesday, March 27th:  Well Read Wife

Wednesday, March 28th:  DBC Reads

Thursday, March 29th:  Colloquium

Friday, March 30th:  Chick Lit Reviews and News

Monday, April 2nd:  Raging Bibliomania

Tuesday, April 3rd:  Amused by Books

Wednesday, April 4th:  Chick Lit is Not Dead – Guest Post “5 Things I’d Tell the Teen Me”

Thursday, April 5th:  Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, April 9th:  Library of Clean Reads

Tuesday, April 10th:  Reading with Martinis

Wednesday, April 11th:  A Musing Reviews

Thursday, April 12th:  Reviews from the Heart

Monday, April 16th:  Books Distilled

Tuesday, April 17th:  She Treads Softly

Wednesday, April 18th:  Suko’s Notebook

Monday, April 23rd:  I Am A Reader, Not A Writer – Author Q&A

Tuesday, April 24th:  Books Distilled

Wednesday, April 25th:  All Grown Up?