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From the bestselling author of What the Wind Knows and From Sand and Ash comes a powerful love story about a musical duo who put everything on the line to be together. New York, 1960: For Benny Lament, music is his entire life. With his father’s deep ties to the mob, the Bronx piano man has learned that love and family can get you in trouble. So he keeps to himself, writing songs for other musicians, avoiding the spotlight…until the night his father brings him to see Esther Mine sing. Esther is a petite powerhouse with a gorgeous voice. And when Benny writes a hit song and performs it with her, their collaboration thrusts the duo onto the national stage…and stirs up old issues and new scrutiny that the mob—and Benny—would rather avoid. It would be easier to walk away. But the music and the woman are too hard for the piano man to resist. Benny’s songs and Esther’s vocals are an explosive combination, a sound that fans can’t get enough of. But though America might love the music they make together, some people aren’t ready for Benny Lament and Esther Mine on—or off—the stage.
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TW: Racism, violence, death of a parent, child abandonment
Amy Harmon is one of my favorite authors. She has this spectacular way to pull you into her stories and enrapture you while simultaneously hitting you in all the feels. The Songbook of Benny Lament did just that...
The story of Esther and Benny is a poignant and raw one that shares the complexities of interracial relationships and marriages during the 1960s before Loving vs Virginia was passed by the Supreme Court. Set along the backdrop of Harlem and the mob scene with the soundtrack showcasing the rise of Motown, this story was a slow burn with an important message of love- familial or chosen, forbidden or accepted. I loved that the format was set as a radio interview done between Benny and a famous radio personality at the end of 1969. Kudos to Harmon, for not just writing a lovely story but also writing song lyrics to accompany the story! I would have loved to hear those songs!
I do think it would have been fascinating to get some of Esther’s point-of-view, I would have loved and maybe even preferred more insight directly from her considering the racial climate of that era. Esther is such a strong character I can’t help but want to know her more!
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