This is an oral history account about Opal Jewel and Nev Charles, an Afro-punk rock n’roll duo who find fame and notoriety in the 1970’s after a tragic incident at a concert in 1973. The band splits but a reunion concert is planned in 2026 which is when S. Sunny Shelton a music editor at Aural Magazine takes the chance to record interviews with the duo and those connected to them. Sunny is personally invested in their story.

Ok, sounds like Daisy Jones and the Six? In some ways of course, it is as the format is the same but this goes much deeper than sex, drugs and music into race, racial and sexual inequality and prejudice, into Black Lives Matter and Me Too, thus making it a very relevant story. The characters are well portrayed especially Opal who comes across strongly. She’s fierce, independent, brave, has a strong sense of justice and survival. She can be wild and reckless and likes to shock which for me makes her easy to like! Nev is not so easy to see, though his creativity is not in question, however, he’s crucial to the storytelling as without him there’d be no story. The contrast between them is fascinating, she’s jet black to his milk white, she’s a visual peacock and he’s the peahen! The other character I really like is Virgil LaFleur who helps feed Opal’s flamboyance. As the book progresses it becomes less Nev and Opal and more Opal and Sunny although there’s an intriguing plot turn which Nev is central to and getting to that truth proves tricky. The author creates a really good 70’s vibe, scenes are well described so you can visualise them and I like the inclusion of actual events which gives context to the storytelling. The music scene is vividly portrayed especially the whims of Rivington Records, their recording label. It captures the excitement of breaking success with their first album. The most evocative parts of the book centre on the Rivington Showcase concert where it all kicks off with a tragic clash of race and views. This is tense, very scary and well written.

Although I really enjoy most of the book it does take a while to get going, being on occasions over detailed. Sometimes the interviews get to a ‘juicy’ revelation and then disconnects, leaving you hanging which is annoying. I can almost hear the Eastenders theme tune at these points!! It prevaricates too and I just want to get to the point, please!! The final third the tone changes and is slower in my opinion with some pacing issues. I question too whether the format means it’s an account rather than something you can connect to emotionally??

However, despite the above, this is unquestionably a powerful and really good debut novel and kudos to the author who is definitely one to watch. It covers relevant and current issues making it thought provoking and well worth reading.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus for the most appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is a book about two people written using interviews and magazines. The book was interesting I can’t wait to read it again in audio so that I can get the full effect of everyone’s different snippets.