A Heart-Wrenching, Deep, and Dark // Book Review: A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G Drews

Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: June 7th, 2018
Genre: YA Contemporary
Buy Links: Kinokuniya Bookstores // MPH Bookstores
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Source: Huge thanks to Pansing Distributions for providing me a copy.

Blurbs

An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope.

Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music - because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy, and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

A Heart Breaking, Intense Reading That Will Crush You Hard

Short Summary

Beck is a brilliant pianist. His life has always been with his piano - practice, practice, practice until his hand hurts because his mother is not tolerating with any excuses from him even his school works. She does not care at all because, for her, Beck needs to be the best pianist in the world. His mother is unlike any mother, she abuses Beck - physically and mentally abused. Because of that, he does not have any friends at all not until he met, August Frey. 

Characters

Beck - He is very obedient to his mother although his been abuse but his still stand by his mother side and try to do as best as he can, try to be the best pianist his mother wants. Beck is the warm-hearted guy and a very sweet brother towards his sister that his willingness to do anything for her. Although he is cold towards August at first though deep down in his heart, he feels guilty when he answers in hurtful tones.

August - She brings light into Beck's life. She is very patience towards Beck's cold behavior. I did feel annoyed for only a while with August especially when she came to Beck's house and met his mom at that time, I feel like, 'why August, why?' but then she just as sweet as Beck, a wonderful, happy-go-lucky girl, she has this amazing positive side that I want it too.

Joey (Beck's little sister) - There is Joey, the cutest, naive little sister and annoying, just like our siblings too, you know. It hurts to see when Joey needs to see and hears hurtful words from her mother.

Maestro (Beck's Mom) - I hate her. I think that's enough for me to explain?

Plots

The story is well-written by the author. The conflict starts from the beginning of the novel - when the main character, Beck needs to face with his own mother who put so much pressure on him and the abuse on him was so real, so dark, so intense and the tension begins to arise that it cause me to flinch many times throughout my reading. They both suffer from Maestro's angst. When August came into Beck's life that is a turning point in his life. 

The story is not easy to predict. You thought it will be like this but it turns out to be the other way round. So, I could not know what will happen in the end.  

Thoughts

A Thousand Perfect Notes is not a sweet contemporary that you think it will be because it is really dark, it hurts me to see when the abusive struck towards Beck - it was horrible and that made want to scream to Maestro of how cruel she is towards her own children. I literally did that, screaming. Because of that, it put me in tears through reading A Thousand Perfect Notes. It emotionally affects me.

Nonetheless, A Thousand Perfect Notes is a novel that portrays, the dark side of someone life that nobody knows what they have been suffered, how it can affect his life if someone does not appear in their life and pull them out from the misery of their life. It is also to believe there's a rainbow waiting for them after a heavy rain. So, when August appears in Beck and Joey's life, it gives me hopes that she can help them. 

Overall

It was a rollercoaster ride reading this even so I could not say I enjoy (wait! before you think I hate this book, the answer is NO! What I meant was, it sounds a bit weird to say I enjoyed the book when it has a lot of things happened to the characters but I do love the book, get what I mean?) because it was a dark and intense reading ever but it is a beautifully written and the ending is something I didn't see it coming.

I definitely would like to recommend you to read this, however, read on your own risks as there are many scenes that will trigger you. ⚠