A Song for a New Day

by Sarah Pinsker

WINNER OF THE NEBULA AWARD

After a global pandemic makes public gatherings illegal and concerts impossible, except for those willing to break the law for the love of music—and for one chance at human connection.

In the Before, when the government didn't prohibit large public gatherings, Luce Cannon was on top of the world. One of her songs had just taken off and she was on her way to becoming a star. Now, in the After, terror attacks and deadly viruses have led the government to ban concerts, and Luce's connection to the world--her music, her purpose—is closed off forever. She does what she has to do: she performs in illegal concerts to a small but passionate community, always evading the law.

Rosemary Laws barely remembers the Before times. She spends her days in Hoodspace, helping customers order all of their goods online for drone delivery—no physical contact with humans needed. By lucky chance, she finds a new job and a new calling: discover amazing musicians and bring their concerts to everyone via virtual reality. The only catch is that she'll have to do something she's never done before and go out in public. Find the illegal concerts and bring musicians into the limelight they deserve. But when she sees how the world could actually be, that won’t be enough.

• ISBN10: 1984802585
• ISBN13: 9781984802583
• Publish Date: 10 September 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781984802583

Reviews

[empressbrooke]

My dad has this belief that at some point in the not-so-distant future, VR will replace our need to travel. Why, he reasons, would people spend money and time getting on planes to go see new places when we could feel like we are there without leaving our homes? This has always struck me as wrong on an emotional level, but I could never successfully articulate why his oh-so-practical prediction should be offset by things that have nothing to do with practicality.

A Song For A New Day perfectly captures my gut feeling that nothing can replace being physically in the moment, surrounded by other people, sharing a community. Over and over it demonstrates that living is so much more than the practicality, ease, and safety that technology promises to give us. I loved this book, its message, and the way that Luce and Rosemary each sought better ways to live in this quasi-post-apocalyptic world where people isolate in their homes out of fear. Highly recommended.