“A story that’s nourishment for the better parts ourselves. It’s optimistic and warm and we all need some of that.”
“Sometimes when you read a novel, what draws you in is the ability of the writer to recreate and capture a shared past. It happened to me in Ishiguru’s “Never Let Me Go” – it was like the author was with me at my boarding school in the early 60’s, almost down to the last detail. The same thing happened with Davies novel, Valediction Records. Those of us who were around in the heady days of the early punk rock scene and London undergraduate life of the 70’s will recognise and remember the time. The music, drugs, the art and the anarchy – through the lens of disparity of social class – is all told by Davies with an authentic voice. I recognise it as I was there.
It’s story of four student members of a band, their brief brush with chart fame and their eventual slide into old age 40 years later in an England with its own distinctive feel and problems. I knew those people , shared their joy and their pain. The novel takes us through these two time-lines, the 1970’s and the 2010’s which are intertwined through the lives of Kelly, a carer at the residential home where Martin, the founding band member, now lives. The story also takes in the lives of the other band members, now scattered round the country.
At the heart of the story is the friendship and bonds made in those heady optimistic times. Band members have gone their own separate ways, they’ve slunk out of sight. They’ve faced sadness and tragedy but they made a promise in the early days of the band which is uncovered four decades later in that care home.
The portrayal of Kelly as a young, cash strapped single mother is not only endearing but heartbreaking, as her own story of isolation and loneliness is revealed. It is through the friendship with dementia patient Martin, that the novel delivers its most powerful punch. The home, run by the eccentric but relatable Norah O’Flaherty, feels like a prison to both Kelly and Martin who form an unlikely relationship.
The novel works because we quickly identify our characters in the alternate time periods and the lost guitar plectrum which ties the timelines together is clever and perfect for the purpose.
As I write this in a period of intense bleakness it’s a story that’s nourishment for the better parts ourselves. It’s optimistic and warm and we all need some of that.”
– Claire Lewis, Producer of ‘The Up’ Series of Award-Winning Documentary Films