Any music lovers out there want a little auditory link into my brain while I was drafting my latest novel all about old bullies and growing up? Well, now you have it! I’m going to break down some of the defining moments of the book (while avoiding major spoilers as much as I can). And you can access the full official SPOTIFY PLAYLIST HERE.
Here’s the official book blurb for you to check out if you haven’t seen it yet (and the Amazon link).
“Maybe getting older lets you finally see all sides of the dice – not just the ones that are facing up.”
Vera Bartlet is a soon-to-be college graduate with absolutely no idea how messy her life is about to become. It’s not just the job search looming on the horizon or her lack of a boyfriend that’s got her stomach in knots – rather, her dad has been missing for almost a decade, and no one knows what happened to him.
When Uncle Edgar mysteriously arrives back onto the scene, he comes armed with some interesting new ideas about what may have happened to Vera’s dad – and an even more revolutionary idea of how to find him. With nothing short of bending time and space, Edgar sends Vera back in time in the hopes that she might find the clues they need to get her dad home.
As she sifts through the mangled pieces of reality and her altered memories of middle school drama become jumbled in between truth and fantasy, Vera has to choose which elements of her past should stay in the past, and which she might like to incorporate into her future. Time travel is never simple, and there are always side effects – but in this case, it might just hold the key to finding her dad. Will Vera stay sane long enough to find her dad and make peace with the bullies who made her miserable?
#1: The Bench Scene
Song: “Can’t Save Myself” by As It Is
Plot Moment: Vera meets a younger girl on a park bench with some very specific struggles, and she tasks herself with trying to fix these things before it’s too late.
Relevant Lyrics: “I can’t help the way my mind is hardwired to hate myself / ’cause I swear this is how I desperately try to save myself” and “As I’ve aged the only thing I think has changed / is that the demons have moved from under my bed / to the inner depths of my head”
#2: Re-visiting Seventh Grade
Song: “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance
Plot Moment: When Vera meets the other classmates of her younger confidants, she realizes how twisted and corrupt middle schoolers really can be. This song is self-explanatory, given that context.
Relevant Lyrics: “Teenagers scare the living shit out of me / They could care less, as long as someone would bleed / so tuck in your clothes and strike a violent pose / maybe they’ll leave you alone but not me”
#3: Tearing up the Club
Songs: “Rebel Girl” by Angels and Airwaves / “Photograph” by Nickelback
Plot Moment: Vera and her college friends head to the club, but then things heat up a bit while she’s there…
Relevant Lyrics: “Do you wanna go back to where we started? / Back before we were broken hearted?” / “Every memory of walking out the front door / found the photo of the friend that I was looking for”
#4: Dark Secrets
Song: “Ether” by Simple Creatures / “Today I Saw the Whole World” by Pierce the Veil
Plot Moment: Vera and friends find out some dark secrets relating to why her dad has been missing for years. Engage – adventure mode.
Relevant Lyrics: “You can gasp for air or take the ether / hold your breath for both / you won’t get either” / “Listen, I’m the one who made you / I’ll be the one who brings you down / But this will be the last time”
#5: Hope
Song: “I’ll Try To” by Carverton
Plot Moment: After the crazy events toward the end of the book, the characters are shell-shocked and emotional still. This is a quiet moment where Vera allows her true friends to support her.
Relevant Lyrics: “I feel you fading, like there’s nothing you can do / But just sit there waiting, and pray it’s over soon”
This was just a really vague musical summary of my book, and I hope you enjoyed it! There was so much more I could’ve called to your attention but I settled on these songs that I felt the most drawn to at the moment. Thank you so much for reading and listening thus far!
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Angelina Singer Author Updates 