Tag Archives: Dublin In The Rain

2014, meme, music monday

[Music Monday] – #3 – Pentatonix – Say Something

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Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by the Total Book Geek. The purpose of this bookish variant is to match a book with a particular song; whether it is character defining, a narrative element, or just an overall book defining track.

So why am I doing this? Well if I had to choose to only have one of the five traditional senses, it would be sound perception above all else. And hey I think it’d be neat to share music I listen to on a daily basis!

music monday logo

This Week’s Song:
Pentatonix – Say Something
(Original by A Great Big World
feat. Christina Aguilera)

Book Selected:
Dublin in the Rain – Andrew Critchley

 

Initial Thoughts:

A stellar novel requires an equally stellar track pairing, right?

Andrew Critchley - Dublin in the Rain (Cover)

I’m pretty sure this song can be used for many romance-oriented novels but I found this particular cover to be a striking example of the core relationships and the engaged contemporary issues in Andrew Critchley’s Dublin in the Rain. With Kirstie taking forefront in this cover, it’s quite the homage to J.P’s mother and Sophia in the delivery of the song to drive the meaning and allowing the perspectives to resonate.

If you’re interested in learning more about Critchley’s Dublin in the Rain, you can read about my review here. Or you can click on the book cover to be redirected to Goodreads.

There is just so much ear candy in this cover of Say Something that lends itself to the lyrics as it relates to the pivotal stages in Jonathan Paul Melton’s (J.P.) life: as a child and as an adult. In both stages of life, there’s a nod to the parallelism and redemption drawn by the generation gap and the eventual fates of what would be the song’s general meaning. As a child, the playback would occur from his mother’s perspective toward Jonathan’s father – ultimately leading to divorce as the marriage was unsalvageable. In his adulthood, it’s the unexpected death of his and Sophia’s child that begins this song from her eyes as she falters in loving him as he grieves. But Jonathan is not his father. With the theme of redemption, J.P., who was once taking two steps forward and one step back, gains insight from self-reflection and proceeds with the once unimaginable: he says something. Haaaaaa, I’m so cheesy.

Afterthoughts:

Pentaholic? Indeed – since their debut on The Sing Off! Feeling all the feels. All of it.

To be honest, I wouldn’t have imagined this cover to being a nice match for this book if it wasn’t Kirstie being the predominant lead. I mean, the song is nice in itself but the choice wouldn’t have been as compelling otherwise. Just my two cents (which is rather biased, derp.)

Cheers,
Joey

2014, alternative family, Book Review, contemporary, cultural, death, ireland, new adult, realistic fiction, romance, series, sexuality, substance abuse, YA

[Review] Dublin In The Rain – Andrew Critchley

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Book Title:                    Dublin In The Rain (Unnamed Trilogy #01)
Author:                           Andrew Critchley
Number of pages:   372Andrew Critchley - Dublin in the Rain (Cover)

Synopsis:

On a rainy day in Dublin, during the spring of 1947, a tragic accident brought devastation to those involved. As the subsequent years pass, unable to come to terms with the accident, the survivors set the path for a deeply troubled future for each generation that followed.

Jonathan Melton had a traumatic childhood in which he ended up in foster care, but when he meets the wild, willful, sexually experienced and free spirited Sophia at university, everything changes. At first inept with women, Jonathan’s complex relationship with Sophia evolves from a one-way obsession into a genuine love and shared passion, as the relationship brings happiness, romance and joy to both their lives that neither thought was ever possible. The two marry, and Sophia gives birth to their first child; a beautiful baby daughter. Everything is seemingly perfect, until the evening that their tiny baby is found dead in her cot.

As his world falls apart around him, Jonathan slips into a dark depression and, increasingly haunted by his past, becomes distant and dysfunctional as he struggles to cope with the loss of his daughter. His marriage to Sophia disintegrates, and Jonathan along with it as he descends further into darkness after leaving Sophia. Although his close friend David succeeds to some extent in saving him from his demons, Jonathan remains a lost and lonely soul, until his apparent chance meeting with the enigmatic Maolíosa in a Dublin bar. Maolíosa and Jonathan form a unique bond, and she challenges his vision of life and the world around him. Fate intervenes, but it ultimately leads Jonathan to redemption, and a final resolution to the aftermath and consequences of the 1947 tragedy.

(re: Goodreads @ Dublin In The Rain by Andrew Critchley)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

-Dynamic and compelling characters with a dialogue-driven narrative.
-Seamlessly integrates issues like: divorce, alternative family, sexuality, substance abuse, and death.
-The power in this story comes from self-reflection and redemption; for the characters and as a reader.
-Multiple scenes with sexual context that may deter readers.
-I’d argue this book can be suited for mature young-adults as it’s a true contemporary fiction at its core.

Initial Thoughts

Full disclosure: I received a copy of Dublin in the Rain through Goodreads First Reads. — So thanks to Andrew and Goodreads for arranging this.

Truthfully, I didn’t know what to expect from reading this novel. The synopsis and prologue are both striking in setting the tone of the quintessential shit hitting the fan of what is otherwise known as life. There’s so many angles to this book that I guess I have to let my review speak for my inability to detail initial thoughts.

Disclaimer: There may be spoilers inherent to this review from this point onward.

Continue reading [Review] Dublin In The Rain – Andrew Critchley →