The Notes by Catherine Con Morse (review)

Reviewed by: The Notes by Catherine Con Morse Alaine Martaus Morse, Catherine Con The Notes. Crown, 2024 320p Trade ed. ISBN 9780593711385 19. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593711408 10. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 7-12 Sixteen-year-old pianist Claire Wu is lost in a sea of self-doubt. She's talented enough to be a junior at Greenwood, a performing arts school in South Carolina, but maybe not talented enough for a professional career. And as the Chinese American daughter of immigrants, she is definitely Asian, but maybe not Asian enough for her school's selective Asian Student Society. She's also liked by stellar fellow performer, Rocky Wong, but not like-liked. Then enigmatic new teacher Dr. Tina Li shows an interest in her, pushing her to make music her obsession, and soon Clare's obsessed with her teacher as well. Meanwhile, someone has been leaving strange notes for Clare to find, and she's beginning to notice that Rocky may not be as skilled as he appears. More confident yet more adrift than ever, Claire must find a way to see beyond herself before her obsessions become tragedy. Morse offers a strong, sensitive debut novel here, deeply embedded in the world of classical music without requiring equal familiarity from readers. Despite her unique gifts, Claire is utterly relatable in her struggles and achievement anxieties; issues of racial identity, meanwhile, are handled with empathy and care. Minor characters are just that, at least until the final crisis, and the mysteries, such as they are, are solved without need for villains, so everyone gets a happy ending. Overall, it's a work that hits notes of high drama but is ultimately lullaby sweet and comforting. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois