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Amateurs by Gill Oliver
UK Tour – 18th – 26th May
Genre: Contemporary | Humour | Disability Fiction
Publisher: Ah But Books
Blurb
Beth Collier, up-and-coming composer, is shamed into acting as accompanist for her mum’s amateur choir. And yes, they have a lot to teach her. There’s no monopoly on talent, though; Alice, her brain-injured twin, has quite a voice, and leads her own band. But as the truth about the sisters’ upbringing unfolds, Beth confronts big questions about her own identity.
Set in the months before lockdown, against the backdrop of the bars and church halls of a great musical city – where everyone makes art and joking is a serious business – this novel takes you back to where the music started. In the heart.
With amateurs and professionals from formal and informal musical traditions, the playlist ranges from Rachmaninov to Mersey Beat. Alongside music, there’s the word, and Beth will have to overcome some issues there… The thrills and spills of language – loved, shared, sometimes lost, often misunderstood, but never owned – are constant themes, as a wide range of characters from different cultural tribes stumble around in search of what connects them.
About the author
I was born in Liverpool, so I grew up with the belief that you could laugh at just about anything, starting with yourself. My earliest attempts at fiction were bedtime stories for my brothers and sister, which carried on long after they’d fallen asleep. Too much Chekhov at an early age meant I ended up studying Modern Languages instead of Eng Lit. I had to earn a living and found I loved teaching. I’ve worked in the Midlands, Essex and Dorset in a variety of roles, publishing teaching materials along the way.
In fiction, I’m drawn to issues that trouble, inspire or amuse me. And I love language, so I might just play with that. I feel a responsibility to reflect the way we live now, rather than leaving it to some future historian. It’s not just a question of ‘writing what you know’ – in fact, it’s a good idea to write about what you want to know. But I have this delusion that in reflecting on the present, we help shape the future. It’s hard to find an art form which is better adapted than the novel to examining the light and shade of human experience, and taking us beyond events into the thoughts and feelings of others.
I’m interested in real people, who find themselves in real situations. Pace, surprise, emotion, humour, crisp description – these are all things I aim to create. And to have fun doing it.Author’s Website: gilloliverauthor.com
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