A Glass Half Shattered

Another book review! I just finished Tempo Change by Barbara Hall. It's about 16 year old Blanche Kelly, who's dad was a famous indie rock star in the 90's. He left when she was six, to go find himself. Her mother was never the same after he left, and tried to erase all things not normal about their family to try to forget him. She joined AA and cleaned up her act. Moved to Santa Monica and got Blanche into a nice private school.

All of that horrifies Blanche. She has her father, Duncan Kelly on a pedestal. He can do no wrong. His leaving was all her mothers fault. He was an artist! He felt trapped and didn't know what to do about it. Her mom didn't try hard enough to keep him around. She was suffocating him.

Music is in Blanche's blood, and soon she starts her own band called the Fringers. (Since she lives on the fringe of normal people, much like myself) They rise in the ranks and end up being asked to compete at Coachella music festival in the Unsigned Competition. Blanche emails her dad the good news, and he agrees to come. Since her dad's coming, Blanche decides they should end their set with a cover of her dad's most famous song, A Glass Half Shattered.

When people find out that Blanches' dad is THE Duncan Kelly, they ask her to sing A Glass Half Shattered with him onstage. She agrees, because she doesn't want to disappoint her dad, even though it was supposed to be her time to shine. He steals the show, and they end up losing the competition because of it.

Blanche can't believe her father could be so selfish. His only retort, "If you put me on a pedestal, the only thing I can do it tear myself down."  

Another theme in this book that interested me, was Blanche's transition form determined atheist,, to somewhat believer. In the beginning she says that God walked out of her life when Santa did. Slowly though, she realizes that praying and God are a lot like wishes, and luck. I'm really not explaining it very well. It's hard too.