This book is such a powerhouse. The story of Joan Vole, an indie singer-songwriter who is famous only in small circles (I was picturing Ani DiFranco but that may not be the most perfect 1:1), and how a meltdown on stage leads her to discover what she actually wants out of life. I adored the book because it is about creative process, something we all need to be reading about and taking seriously right now in the age of AI. I was also pleasantly surprised when Joan shows up at a school to hide away for the summer and it eerily reminded me of my own college in central VA, only to find out the author wrote some of this book at the artist residency across the street!

This book is all at once moving, funny, surprising, and warm. I didn't know what to expect going in and that was an unexpected joy. Conklin creates unforgettable characters and if you are a fun of indie music, especially punk and the weird stuff, this is a must-read. It is also a truly interesting book about identity and trans characters, with themes I hadn't encountered in fiction before. I think this is going to be a sleeper hit of the summer, get on board now!

This novel gave me some of the same vibes as Kristen Arnett- repulsed, curious, and amused all at the same time. There were some clunky bits (the summer camp set up feels like a weird jump) but overall oddly empathetic

Songs of No Provenance left me thinking a lot about artmaking and fandom and shame, gender/queerness. The need/the want for attention. What a compelling protagonist - Joan is flawed and freaky and (lol) relatable. Conklin's writing is attentive, descriptive (lines like "Goodwill business casual" made me lol). I'm partway through and excited to read more! That scene on stage made me cringe and want to read more (can you be fascinated/afraid/repelled all at the same time? Absolutely!).

Song of No Provenance is a strange, flawed, compelling, off-the-beaten-path kind of novel nevertheless written with a huge amount of heart. Joan is an extremely indie rock star in her forties with a pee fetish and a very strange relationship to gender. After she inadvertently reveals her fetish in (and i say this as a compliment) one of the most cringe-inducing scenes I have ever read in contemporary literature, Joan runs off in a shame-induced haze, tosses her phone into a bush, and takes a job as a teacher to three (lol) talented, ironic high-school aged students at a no-technology summer camp. (A somewhat outlandish premise, but i'll accept it.)

At the camp, she's all eye-roll and i-don't-care at first, but slowly warms up to the kids, and is forced to reckon her relationship with shame, artmaking, romantic entanglement, mentorship, and her fetish, esp. when she meets a nonbinary artist who she is intrigued with. It's a romp of a book, fun, idiosyncratic, and wholly the author's own (it brings to mind the george saunders-ism about the "little dung hill" that he nevertheless claims). The ending doesn't quite land, but that's ok. I'm looking forward to whatever work comes next from Lydi Conklin's twisted, life-affirming mind.

I truly enjoyed Conklin's writing style. I was really put in a time and place while reading "Songs." However, the story felt weak and I had trouble connecting with any of the characters. Joan and Paige's relationship was hard to follow.