2.5 stars

Well. Basically all my friends love this book, so if you're thinking you might be interested, I would recommend reading some of their reviews instead of my rainstorm on the parade.

But my reviews have always been honest above all, so here goes.

I actually read [b:The Boy Who Steals Houses|40170373|The Boy Who Steals Houses|C.G. Drews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548416923l/40170373._SY75_.jpg|62315086] first, and liked it more, but even in TBWSH I distinctly remember a lot of the same things I don't like in ATPN — hallmarks of the author's style. (It should go without saying, but I don't mean that they're bad. Just not for me.)

The prose in general — a lot of the figurative language didn't seem to fit the tone/context of the scene, and I was annoyed by how frequently
a sentence
is
chopped up
for dramatic
effect.
(I thought it was really cool the first couple of times I came across it, but like glitter it's most effective in very limited quantities ... and annoying in excess.)

Something about the pacing felt off to me, which prevented me from getting totally immersed in the plot; something also prevented me from getting invested in the characters, which was disappointing. As someone who had a love/hate relationship with piano (especially practicing the pieces I was assigned, though thankfully neither my teacher nor my mother were abusive) and with bilingualism, I wanted to empathize with Beck. I really did. But he never resonated with me as a fully-fledged character; I found August a bit too quirky; and honestly their relationship didn't seem wholly organic to me.

The resolution? To be quite blunt, I almost laughed because I just found it all too much that

Spoiler

the boy named after Beethoven partially loses his hearing in the end, as he starts to come into his own as a composer

; the last chapter had the finality but not the satisfaction of a traditional ending chord-progression.

All that said — I can appreciate the premise and broad strokes of the plot, the motifs and themes. Some scenes were almost physically painful to read: some heartbreaking, some heartwarming. I know this book means a lot to many people, and I am glad for them even if I can't relate.

content warnings:

Spoiler

physical & emotional child abuse, graphic violence, blood, fantasies of self-mutilation, mentions of animal cruelty (frogs, dogs)

-----------
CONVERSION: 6.53 / 15 = 2.5 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 4 / 10
Emotional Impact: 6 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 2 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 1 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5