The Universe Playing Strings

Music is the heartbeat of this novel about the world of hometown musicians—the jamming venues, the contests, the onstage cues, the subtle rules. The story focuses on four musicians: Carl Bradshaw, an aging Oklahoma fiddler; Amy Chandler, a young dumpling who can outpick most guitarists; Jack Martin, who lives in the shadow of a successful father; and Cora, an older woman on the edge of a world she believes can’t be hers. The novel’s structure reflects the sets of a performance on stage, with sma