Prairie Sonata was named one of the Best Books of 2021 by Kirkus Reviews that called it “a compelling work…poignant and eloquent.” (Kirkus Starred Review).
The novel is the bittersweet coming-of – age story of Mira Adler, a teenage girl growing up on the post World War II Canadian prairies, and what she learns about life and love from her Yiddish and violin teacher, Chaver B, a recent immigrant from Prague who is intriguing, mysterious, and paradoxical, and who Mira believes harbors a painful secret.
On the surface, the novel can be viewed as a love story, the coming of age of an impressionable girl as she passes from innocence to experience. Yet she is not the only one on a journey, and we learn that her teacher, Chaver B, is on his own journey — exemplified by the sonata form — as he tries to come to terms with what he believes are his personal failings.
Written in evocative prose, the novel touches upon many issues that have contemporary relevance, including anti-Semitism and bigotry, the value of community, recovering from trauma (what we now call PTSD), and the ability or inability of civilizations to adapt and change for the betterment of mankind. The story of Purim is also an important idea. Throughout the novel, these themes intersect and diverge, then come together and diverge again, like melodies in counterpoint to one another in a musical composition. The novel is at once intimate, philosophical, and deeply moving.
Prairie Sonata was named Next Generation Indie Award Best E‑book and was a finalist in General Fiction. It was winner of the Independent Press Award for Best Young Adult Fiction, and was a New York City Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite.
The novel is ideal for book clubs, classrooms, and individual reading.
For more information go to www.PrairieSonata.com.