The Music Shop

Like Sarah in my book (and me at one point, too), the mysterious German woman in the pea-green coat who faints in front of an eclectic London music shop has a broken relationship with music. Ironically, she’s good at fixing things and begins an awkward friendship with the shop’s owner Frank, who has a magical ability to match music with people. With its wonderfully flawed characters, this book is a tender tale of healing—both from music and with music—and a celebration of all musical genres.

Though this book was a recent read for me, it’s been out there for a while. I’m surprised I missed it until now, which makes it all the sweeter. 

I love unexpected finds like The Music Shop. And just like the book, we follow Frank, the owner of a vinyl record shop in 1988 London, where customers roam the jam-packed rows in search of a gem among endless stacks of music. 

Frank has an ear for matching the perfect record to every person who walks through his door. Then he meets Ilse, who challenges him in a way that… show more.

I remember 1988, the arrival of the CD and old-fashioned record shops. But what I loved most about this book was the portrayal of Frank, the record shop owner with the gift of being able to pick the right music for his customers but unable to help himself. For me, the mystery of Ilse was a background tune to the real story of how these two unlikely characters overcome their various emotional burdens to finally reach out to each other. Sorry about the spoiler!