Chorus

By: Rebecca Kauffman

Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers

The seven Shaw siblings have long been haunted by two early and profoundly consequential events. Told in turns from the early twentieth century through the 1950s, the story builds as each sibling relays their own versions of the memories that surround both their mother’s mysterious death and the circumstances of one sister’s scandalous teenage pregnancy. As they move into adulthood, the siblings assume new roles: caretaker to their aging father, addict, enabler, academic, decorated veteran, widow, and mothers and fathers to the next generation.

Entangled in a family knot, the Shaw siblings face divorce, drama, and death while haunted by a mother who was never truly there. Through this lens, they all seek not only to understand how her death shaped their family, but also to illuminate the insoluble nature of the many familial experiences we all encounter—the concept of home, the tenacity that is a family’s love, and the unexpected ways through which healing can occur.

Chorus is a hopeful story of family, of loss and recovery, of complicated relationships forged between brothers and sisters as they move through life together, and of the unlikely forces that first drive them away and then ultimately back home.

“With unusual empathy, Rebecca Kauffman elegantly charts the nuanced connections and fractures between family members, crafting her story from fleeting moments, shivers of understanding, always illuminating the sweetness and sorrow that exist in even the smallest detail.”—David Connerley Nahm, author of Ancient Oceans of Central Kentucky

©2022 Rebecca Kauffman (P)2022 Recorded Books

A Gem

This story was simply told but so profound and moving. This book is a little masterpiece.

Beautifullly written, beautifully read.

There are so many truths in this spare and gorgeous book. Not a simple read. Highly recommended.

Quietly Heartbreaking and Quietly Triumphant

4.5 stars rounded up for Chorus by Rebecca Kauffman. I loved this book. It had been highly recommended to me and since I was in desperate need of a reliably really good book - I downloaded it from Audible and listened to the audio version. This is literary fiction - there is not really a plot, just exceptional character development. It's the story of 7 siblings who grow up under the shadow of mental illness and whose lives are defined by a tragic event when they are young. Alternately told between the seven from both when they were children and now adults- it is one of those dysfunctional family dramas that quietly sears your soul. There is no huge tear jerking event just a series of interactions that really bond you to these people and make you feel for them long after the last page. I found the story both quietly heartbreaking as well as quietly triumphant. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys literary fiction with a family trauma at the heart of it. There is also some healing- so if you need redemption, you won't be disappointed.