Wednesday is All Write: String Bridge by Jessica Bell

Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage—and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits, and she realizes she's been seeking fulfillment in the wrong place.

"If music were wind, I would live in a hurricane. If it were a mother, I would sleep in her soothing womb. If I were music, I would simply be me, shrouding my existence in a monsoon. But I am not music, even though my name, Melody, suggests I could be. The closest I get to "being" music, is playing it, living it, embracing it as if it were the organ most vital to survival. I might say it was my heart. But no... I can't give it a name, because it's more like a sixth sense."

A long time fan of Jessica Bell's blog, I jumped at the opportunity to receive an ARC (advanced reader copy) of her novel, String Bridge, and also to take part in her blog tour, promoting the book.

And I'm so glad I did. String Bridge did not disappoint.

Jessica Bell's prose is poetic, her writing is raw and honest; it tugs at the heart strings. Many of the influences (the location, where the characters are from, the love of music) mirror Jessica's own life (she's a talented musician from Australia, living in Greece), which, I think, brings an added layer of emotional depth and authenticity to each and every character. There were many instances where I found myself wondering how much of the story was drawn from real life.

And then I remembered, I wasn't reading a memoir; String Bridge is fiction.

The novel is rich with metaphors, the soul of a poetic writer shining through right from the very first page until the last. Bell's voice is unapologetic. Real.

I'm more than impressed.

WHERE TO BUY STRING BRIDGE

Amazon.com - ebook
Amazon.uk - ebook
Barnes & Noble - Print

Where to buy the soundtrack which compliments the novel, recorded by Jessica:

iTunes
Amazon.com
Amazon.uk

Jessica Bell is a literary women's fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, to two gothic rock musicians who had successful independent careers during the '80s and early '90s. She spent much of her childhood traveling to and from Australia to Europe, experiencing two entirely different worlds, yet feeling equally at home in both environments. She currently lives in Athens, Greece and works as a freelance writer/editor for English Language Teaching publishers worldwide, such as HarperCollins, Pearson Education and Macmillan Education. In addition to String Bridge, Jessica has published a book of poetry called Twisted Velvet Chains. A full list of poems and short stories published in various anthologies and literary magazines can be found under Published Works & Awards, on her website. From September 2012 Jessica will be hosting the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Odysseus.

Jessica's links: