Review Detail

Bursting with the love and joy of music, After the Wallpaper Music tells the story of Flora, mostly violinist, sometimes fiddler, as she navigates tricky situations with new and old friends while preparing for the upcoming Battle of the Bands. Although Flora loves her string quartet, the music she sees at the new kid Simon's house speaks to her in a whole new way, and she must fight to balance those two commitments, while also navigating a sudden family emergency.

As a former band kid, I absolutely adored this book. From the warm chaos of music class, to the joking stereotypes between instruments, to the classical and rock and Newfoundland folk tunes, every detail evoked the joy of music, for the art itself and the feeling that grows when playing with other musicians.

Flora is also super down to earth and relatable. Much of the tension in the story comes from worries about whether she can please her friends, and I appreciated her fears, the confrontations, and the resolutions as an example of how people who care about each other can still disagree, and that disagreeing doesn't have to lead to resentment or negative feelings.

Another important element is Flora's relationship with her great aunt, who lives in the same house and encourages her music. She can be strict and particular about more things than proper tempo, but there's also lots of love to go around and I loved seeing the supportive dynamics of this multigenerational household.