A Song for a New Day

This novel was released in 2019, won a Nebula in 2020 and was ironically based in a world where terrorist attacks and a devastating disease forced people to stay separated and avoid gatherings - especially live music concerts.

While you can imagine this might be a depressing read during Covid, it actually reveals a message of hope. The two main characters are a singer whose band was discovered to be the last to perform to a large audience before everything locked down, and a younger woman who missed much of the time before and doesn't understand the power of music. The real evil here is the corporate world that wants to perpetuate this fear and uses her naivete to take advantage.

I loved this book. The author is a singer/songwriter and not only knows her stuff but writes it well. The two perspectives allow comparison and contrast, an excellent examination of the effect of the company. It is fortunate our world was only in this state a short time, and doesn't seem to be headed back. Pinsker is apparently known for science fiction, and I plan to seek out her other stories. The only aspect this book really has for scifi is the dystopian near future and a virtual reality.

I read this as an audio book, which had two narrators - one for each main character. This worked extremely well. Regardless of how you read this book, it is highly recommended.