Member Review

Curtis Wilson defied the odds of growing up in Southeast D.C. with a drug dealer father to become a cello prodigy who's taking the classical music world by storm. As a child growing up in a place where he didn't fit in, his love of comics created his alter ego, Dark Maestro, to escape reality. Through sheer grit, talent, and the support of his dad's girlfriend, Larissa, he managed to reach the heights he dreamed of, until his father turns state’s evidence and everything falls apart as they're forced into the witness protection program. But when the FBI is fumbling the case and taking too long to catch the bad guys, Curtis and his family decide to take things into their own hands and the Dark Maestro comes to life.

I had to think long and hard about whether or not I liked this book. On the one hand, it's a tale of resilience, sacrifice, and persistence. On the other hand, I know it's reality, but it sometimes feels like poverty corn that highlights the worst possible elements to bait accolades. It's mostly a personal preference thing, but it made reading parts of the book slightly unpleasant even while knowing that that's the point.

Slocumb puts a lot into crafting the main characters and making sure that they're nuanced enough to feel real and display different sides of themselves as the story progresses. You get to see how Curtis' dad, Zippy, had potential but zero opportunities once he became a dad and drug dealer at 17. Then there's Larissa, who just wants to do everything to help people but the one person she wants to help most (Zippy) refuses to accept that help. It helps ground the story in a more human way.

Overall, even with the negatives, it's a fascinating story that takes the reader on a wild ride of ups and downs.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the interesting read!