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The Doctrine of Affections

by Paul Headrick

In music, the “doctrine of the affections” is the theory that a composer can elicit involuntary emotions in listeners by utilizing certain techniques, such as large or small intervals between notes (meant to invoke joy and sadness, respectively). B.C. author Paul Headrick uses music as a connective theme for the 11 stories that comprise his debut collection. From an exiled, dying Spanish guitar virtuoso living out his last miserable days in 19th-century Paris (“The Studies of Fernando Sor”) to the earnest desire of an impoverished young Jewish girl to join the new school choir in turn-of-the-century Montreal (“Rosie”), Headrick’s stories highlight the importance of music in the lives of each of his characters in a believable and sympathetic manner.

Headrick’s most memorable characters are the listless, confused young men whose various quests to find meaning in life, love, and music pull the reader along to satisfying conclusions. As is nearly always the case with collections, however, some stories are more successful than others. While the two noted above, as well as “After Chuck Blakeney Died” and “Shame on the Johnson Boys,” successfully illustrate the innate connection between music and emotion, others feel forced. For example, in “The Youngest Gods,” about a day in the life of a Wagner-obsessed couple, the musical elements seem tacked on to make the story fit with the rest of the collection.

Overall, The Doctrine of Affections is a solid collection of stories that is at times touching, but also somewhat dispassionate. There are no instant hits here, but this one may well chart anyway.

 

Reviewer: Dory Cerny

Publisher: Freehand Books

DETAILS

Price: $23.95

Page Count: 200 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 978-1-55111-978-6

Released: April

Issue Date: 2010-3

Categories: Children and YA Non-fiction, Fiction: Short