Whale Music

My four-star rating might be generous, especially since I've been pretty critical with other books I've read this year. There were certainly a few things I didn't like--under-age groupies and the tired idea that descriptions of nude male corpulence make for automatic humour-meets-honesty--but at the same time this book really read well. It was hard to put down, even when I told myself I would stop the next whale-heading chapter-segment.

I got here by way of the Rheostatics, as I think many readers did. I didn't listen to them much in high school and it's only been the past year that I've been paying them more attention, yet somehow a lot of their music really takes me back to my teenage headspace and I can't say why. This book brought me show more there too, what with the elements of depression, psychosis, and self-medication that were a frequent part of conversations. And the way that these people are drawn to one another, Claire drawn to Desmond because, I think, they can share this knowledge of not being 'normal,' of not being okay. The co-morbidity of depression and substance abuse in Desmond struck me, especially in how you can tell those around him want to simplify it into one or the other when really you can't.

I would've loved this book as a teenager too, especially with my more significant appreciation of classic rock bands and culture. It's the fact that I find that culture toxic now that made me uncomfortable, but that makes this book relevant to the current zeitgeist of pulling apart previously well-protected celebrities guilty of abuse in the past because it very much taps into that scene. show less

A highly entertaining novel that will surely delight music lovers, particularly those who like classic rock. The protagonist is Desmond Howell, who was the heart of a successful 60's-era band with his chronologically younger but in deeds much older brother, Danny. At the time the story begins, Danny is dead and Desmond is a recluse, living off "whiskey, pharmaceuticals and jelly doughnuts", as the back cover states, and composing Whale Music -- songs for the whales that swim by his house. The story begins with Desmond discovering a young woman sleeping on his couch, an event where his life starts to change.

Desmond's first-person narration is engaging, funny and rings true, right down to the short-term memory loss that he suffers as the show more result of frying his brain with booze and drugs. He is discursive but also very economical in places: he paints a very clear picture of his attitude toward his parents by the simple choice of modifier, saying "my" mother, but "the" father. The other characters are also very vividly drawn, although their portrayals may be slightly biased by the narration.

Beach Boys fans may be intrigued by the parallels between Des and Brian Wilson. Indeed, the band itself makes it in some form onto the page: the fact that there are brothers at the heart of this five-piece ensemble from California that sings about girls and cars in the 1960s and has a rivalry with the Beatles (a scene that I must admit made me uncomfortable because I wasn't sure whether to be amused or not). Even some of the family life is similar, what with Des/Brian's brother dying (in the water; it's a bit of a stretch though) and their father being a modestly successful songwriter who was not a fan of his sons' sound but still tried to be their manager and take control. Even the part where they go to India reminded me of when the Beatles and the Beach Boys went to India to study with the Maharishi.

With all of this going on, readers are bound to be entertained. But be warned, it's pretty raunchy too, in that there are a lot of naked ladies and sexual exploits. Still, this is a novel about drugs and rock 'n' roll, so really, you shouldn't be surprised that there's sex to complete the triad.

Recommended for: music fans and survivors of the 60s.
Next steps: the film Whale Music, for which Quarrington wrote the screenplay; Canadian band The Rheostatics, in particular the albums Whale Music (inspired by the book) and Music from the Motion Picture Whale Music, which is the soundtrack to the aforementioned film. show less

While I wouldn't rate this book as highly as some others, it was good and some of the characters were very interesting. Desmond Howl, the protagonist, is a victim of the 60's rock n roll generation. He's done every illegal and legal drug going and he supplements them with quantities of alcohol and food. Into his life comes Claire from Toronto. Desmond believes Toronto is a planet in Alpha Centauri and thus Claire is an alien. (Seems like a fairly good description of a person from Toronto to me.) Desmond is composing his magnum opus, Whale Music, but he's still grieving the death (perhaps suicide) of his brother with whom he formed the Howl Brothers band. Various wacky characters drop by but Claire keeps sticking around. I would show more recommend this book to anyone who can remember the 60's or even wishes they remember the 60's. show less

A clever writer.

Desmond defies cliches, even all those ones about drug-users, fat people, and rock stars. For that, I appreciate this book. The whale music sings on in my soul. My complaint is that the endless humour gets to me after a while, but that might just be because I, personally, am a grouch by nature.

From comedy to pathos in a scant few pages...tragedy haunts us all. What we make of it determines our stories, in this case finding a reason to live.

This book (& movie) turned me into a Paul Quarrington fan. I got into this because The Rheostatics did two albums called "Whale Music".