It took me time to write this review because was too busy laughing and crying at every twist and turn of this story.

Let me tell you what the title meant to me: Sydney, who is a girl barely 18 years old at the opening of the story, is ashamed of her voice, thinking she is tone-deaf, and only when inhibitions are lifted, only in her sleep, does she dare to sing. But events in this story cause her to mature fast, so it is with great urgency that she finds her voice. This book is a love song; a song of songs to her beloved, to whom with amazing devotion she dedicates her life. What better quote for her transformation than the one at the opening: "You’ll know who I am by the song that I sing." The soul and the voice are one.

It is hard, if not impossible, to fit this work into a literary genre, because the first half reads like an adorable girl-meets-boy story, only to take a sharp turn when Pete, the man Sydney falls in love with, has a bicycle accident on his visit to Boston. At the same moment, half a world away in Australia, Sydney senses a strong, inexplicable fear in her heart, and collapses. It takes weeks for her to learn his whereabouts. Lying in a Boston hospital, arm and leg broken, he is diagnosed with brain injury, and it is unclear whether he will ever regain consciousness. This is where the real fight, the fight for his survival begins; this is where you will get completely hooked with the Sydney's character.

The author of Sydney's Song is an artist as well, and her stylized black-and-white illustrations appear at every chapter heading, looking like a little window though which you can view events. Inspired by real events in her life, this story is a tribute to her spirit, her voice, and her song.

Five stars. ( )