The Sound of Songs Across the Water - Tapa blanda

In this wonderful debut, Rob Yardumian tells an irresistible story about the struggles of two old friends. In doing so he writes brilliantly about music and sex, art and love, the power of money and the lure of charisma.

--Margot Livesey, author of Eva Moves the Furniture and The Flight of Gemma Hardy

The Sound of Songs Across the Water is a rock 'n' roll novel that does what a rock 'n' roll novel must-- capture the music, the bristling energy and careening emotions of it, and make it loud upon the page. Rob Yardumian writes like a really good band sounds.

--David W. Williams, author of The Long Gone Daddies

I'd expected to like the story in spite of its musical backdrop, but the exact opposite turned out to be true; I found the most resonant passages of the novel to be the descriptions of the music that weaves throughout the story. For me, these were the parts that really set this text apart from others...

--SMU Sophomore Mary Mikule

It’s the summer of 1995, and in the heat of the hills above Los Angeles, Riley Oliver is trying to find redemption in rock ‘n’ roll. Fifteen years have passed since his band flamed out at CBGB, and Riley sees the life his former guitarist Will Taylor has built — successful producing career, the lovely Lena for a wife, a gated home — and he wants some of that luck for himself. Jumping the fence, Riley brings the shadows of the past back to Will, and long-buried conflicts darken the sunny Southern California scene. Lena herself is restless in this creative world; she has been living in the background of the music industry far too long, and this summer becomes one of longing and self-discovery for her and for her uninvited guest.

The Sound of Songs Across the Water traces creation and betrayal, joining and fissure at a time when lovers still made mixtapes to show they cared. Rob Yardumian’s language vibrates like a string under the pressure of fingertips, sliding and reckless as he tells the story of bittersweet inspiration and the pain of bringing art to life. This debut work of fiction will haunt its audience for a long time after finishing the last page.