The obstacles faced by a young black musician and untangling the mystery of who stole his priceless violin makes for a compelling story, said Samantha Basile at the reveal of the Richmond Memorial Library's summer reading selection.
"This year, we had a lot of strong contenders, but we kept coming back to one in particular," said Basile, the community and adult services librarian at the Richmond library. "So this year's title selection is a debut novel. It is part mystery part coming-of-age story. It was a Good Morning America GMA book club pick."
The selection is The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum.
Basile said the selection committee, which has been reading review copies of multiple novels over the past year, was "drawn to the powerfully written passages about music, the element of mystery, and the no holds barred portrayal of the obstacles faced by a young black classical musician and contemporary America."
Basile played a short video from Slocum in which he described and discussed his debut novel.
"It's a story about perseverance and hard work and the power of one person believing in you and believing in yourself," Slocum said. "It's a story of Ray, who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius violin. This discovery catapults him into superstardom in the world of classical music. And right before the Tchaikovsky Competition, which is the Olympics of classical music, his violin is stolen."
And thus the mystery begins, and a determined protagonist works diligently to uncover, from among many suspects, who stole his violin so he can recover it in time for the competition.
"This story came to me in the summer of 2020 When everything was shut down for everyone," Slocum said. "As a professional violinist, I wasn't playing any concerts. I wasn't teaching any lessons. I wasn't practicing for any recitals, or performances or anything. So it really gave me an opportunity to sit down and write."
Members of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra's string section performed during the reveal and Library Visits Coordinator Lucine Kauffman read a passage from the book (see video below).
Slocum will be at Richmond library, 19 Ross St., Batavia, at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 to discuss his book and sign copies.
The Richmond Reads Committee will host additional book discussions and readings during the summer.
Copies of the book are available now to borrow at the library in regular or large print, and on the Libby app as an eBook or audiobook. Copies may be purchased at the front desk for $20, cash or check made out to the Friends of the Richmond Memorial Library.
Photos by Howard Owens
