Kathleen Wall

Lila, a talented pianist and wife to Rob, has decided she cannot passively follow a score someone else has written—in her musical career and her marriage. As she struggles in her role as daughter to a mother who is dying of cancer, Lila finds that Kevin, a violinist and Lila’s musical partner, helps to keep her love of music in tune through trying times. Lila’s husband Rob has his own demons to conquer. A cynical history professor, Rob has been accused of harassment by his own department head. With each chapter told from the point of view of one of the three major characters, Blue Duets is a meditation on life at middle age and the consequence of compromise. As the narrators’ voices move from harmony to discord, we learn to appreciate the different perspectives in the story. Lila, puzzled yet rational, uses what she understands of art and music to pilot her present life struggles. Kevin is comic and transparent in his observations of Lila’s existential dilemma. Rob’s penchant for gourmet cooking disguises his inability to reflect. In Blue Duets, enjoy a novel about perspective and learning to trust one’s intuition.

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