Book Review: The Ensemble by Aja Gabel

❝The story spanned the distance between their past and their future, and suddenly, briefly, they were two versions of themselves. And if they were two versions of themselves, they were also all the versions in between, and their entire shared life unfolded before them.❞

The Ensemble is “about four young friends navigating the cutthroat world of music and their complex relationships with each other, as ambition, passion, and love intertwine over the course of their lives.” (Goodreads)

I’ve never read about music like how Aja Gabel wrote it. I can hear the meaning, not just the notes. Of course I looked them up and listened to them after but somehow the experience was so much better when she was telling it to me.

It’s refreshing how the author never wasted her words in describing the more obvious moments on the main characters’ lives of failures and successes (careerwise or love life) but instead focused on the individual’s emotions and state of mind before and after the fact. Of course I’ve seen some mixed reviews that said they found some parts rather uneventful but I honestly just really loved the meditative quality of the whole book.

I felt I loved all of them, all their talents and flaws, their fears and dreams. I found a bit of myself in each of them and they will always stay with me. 🌸