ERIKA RANDALL
Choreographer of people and ideas.
MUSIC FOR LEAVING
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61-year-old Eleanor Murphy packs a small duffle of her belongings, her childhood hope-less chest of failed dreams, all fifty-nine of her mister’s Precious Moments figurines, and sets out across I-70 on a road trip of reconciliation and reclamation. From the dashboard of her 1960’s Dodge truck, El prays for enough time to share the hard she’s holding with her sister, Isabel, and make things right with her lesbian daughter, whom she betrayed years before. Along the road, objects El connects with (a peach pit, her engagement ring, a dashboard hula dancer) are given voice--and their own chapters--to speak about truths like Longing, Relief, and Hope.
Told through flashback and reflection, Music for Leaving scatters the puzzle pieces of Eleanor’s life until they reform into a picture of hope in the face of devastation. In a world where leaving is often seen as failure, Eleanor teaches us that sometimes leaving is its own superpower.
From Jennifer Ho, Director of the Center for the Humanities & the Arts:
You will read this novel and think you know where it’s headed. And the power of who Eleanor is and what her story actually is will grab you and hold you and not let you go. I am still in the truck with Eleanor. This is the gift that Erika Randall has given us—a hero we will root for, from beginning to an ending I didn’t want to end.
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REVIEWS:
… Eleanor Murphy hits the road on a trip to make amends with her daughter, Jillian, and to be with her sister, Isabel, for as long as she has left. What follows is a heart-warming story of life’s brevity, the endearing bonds of family, and those fleeting moments of hope and love that beam through the spaces in between. Readers glimpse the journey primarily through Eleanor’s eyes, though several chapters dedicate themselves to the perspective of inanimate objects Eleanor has collected or affected along the way—including the world itself, which mourns the impending loss: "I am trying to imagine myself without her. As The World, I am used to letting people go. It happens about 153,000 times per day."
Through stunning prose, emotive imagery, flashbacks, and in-depth moments of grounded presence, Eleanor reflects on her life and the future ahead. She finally arrives at a place marked by decisions centering on self-care, fleeing her old life—including her husband, Walter—to make the most of the time she has left. Randall pieces together the mosaic arc of that life through reflections on Eleanor’s past relationships, current pitstops, and run-ins with an eclectic assortment of people she meets on the road, constructing an inner monologue as she considers ….the moments that fractured her relationship with her beloved daughter, and her failed dreams.
Randall tenderly explores motherhood, sisterhood, and the sacrifices women make for love and family in these pages. The more distance Eleanor puts between herself and her old life, the freer she feels, but the road to making amends with her past may not come as easy as she thinks. Still, she is determined to live a full life—one of family, love, and completion—for the first time…
Takeaway: Gorgeous journey through love, family, and life’s final moments.
Comparable Titles: Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone, Terry McMillan's I Almost Forgot About You.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A