Imperfect Harmony
by Jay Northcote
Imperfect harmony can still be beautiful…
John Fletcher, a former musician, is stuck in limbo after losing his long-term partner two years ago. He’s shut himself off from everything that reminds him of what he’s lost. When his neighbour persuades him to join the local community choir, John rediscovers his love of music and finds a reason to start living again.
Rhys Callington, the talented and charismatic choir leader, captures John’s attention from the first moment they meet. He appears to be the polar opposite of John: young, vibrant, and full of life. But Rhys has darkness in his own past that is holding him back from following his dreams.
Despite the nineteen-year age gap, the two men grow close and a fragile relationship blossoms. Ghosts of the past and insecurities about the future threaten their newfound happiness. If they’re going to harmonise in life and love as they do in their music, they’ll need to start following the same score.
*** Audible code provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my listening pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Imperfect Harmony by Jay Northcote is a May to December romance. John lost the love of his life and has closed himself off and removed anything from his life that reminded him of that love. While helping out a neighbor, John attended a choir practice with her and against his will, the music sucked him back in. Being a part of the choir is making John miss the music he used to create with his partner, and is making John gain some closure. John is realizing that he's still alive, and it's time to honor his partner's memory. Rhys is the director of the choir and he's impressed with John's talent. What starts as a friendship between two men who are both struggling soon develops into more. But, John and Rhys aren't going to find their way to love easily. John's struggle with loss and love just increases his fight to not fall in love again, especially with a man who's 19 years younger than him. Rhys has had his own loss and guilt and has to learn to quit punishing himself for what happened in his past.
This story had a very sad undertone throughout, but showed the struggle of the living as they began moving on with their lives. I liked both John and Rhys. And though there was a large age gap between the two men, it didn't really feel like one in the story. Rhys was young but more mature than John at times. Rhys was kind, sweet and a wonderful friend. And I thought it was interesting the way the different men reacted to grief, and how they lived their life because of it. I would have loved to have an epilogue, or something more at the end to show me that these two men found a HEA.
Imperfect Harmony is narrated by Mark Steadman. He had a nice pace, was easy to listen to and was great at portraying the emotions of the characters. The one issue I did have, was when narrating scenes that did not involve dialogue, it felt very monotone and failed to hold my attention.
Imperfect Harmony is a low angst book, with grief, friendship and love. It was an easy read and one you should definitely listen, or read!
Overall: 4
Performance: 4
Story: 4
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