I was fortunate to receive a review copy of Dallas Coryell's debut novel Melody's Key which was just realeased in June of this year. While romance is not my go-to genre, I find myself reading much more of it lately than I used to, and was intrigued when this novel was offered to me. The story centers around the life of Tegan Lockwood, a young woman entangled in her family's economic desperation as they struggle to keep the family business - a bed and breakfast vacation destination in South England - and home from slipping away. Missing out on a chance at university and depriving herself of her innermost dreams, combined with the tragedies of the past and present, Tegan finds herself with a void that she is desperate to fill, but out of pure love and loyalty to her family, she sacrifices her own desires to stay home and help in any ways she can. Having kept her own desires bottled up for so long, she is shocked when she finds herself opening up to a surprise visitor for the summer - American pop star Mason Keane. Though she senses a connection between them, she doubts whether she can fully open up and trust someone fully.
The story itself is formulaic in the truest embodiment of a romantic comedy. The main character is a lovable, yet closed off female who has experienced bad relationships in the past that continue to haunt and taint her view of the present. She falls for what seems to be a bad boy only to find he is more sensitive than she ever imagined. She spends her time trying to find the flaws in her happiness and trying to determine if this new interest is real or ruse. Hi-jinks, heartache, and love ensue.
While the story itself holds little in terms of shock value, there are plenty of literary techniques that give the story a depth that I have found most other romance stories (especially from debut authors) often lack. Coryell's sentences are craftily constructed with beautifully descriptive language. His imagery and descriptors of the scenery of South England provide a clear picture, even to those (like me) who have never been there. The thought and effort he puts into each sentence shows his passion for writing and reads like a veteran author. As well, the symbolism of the titular key and of Tegan's prized letters are not lost to any literary analyst. It is no convenience that she only begins to open up after she loses the key to her own escapist romantic fantasy in the letters she finds in her family's attic. This perceived loss forces her to open up (key, lock, open up; are you getting it?) and create her own life rather than indulge in the love stories of the past. As well, the past love letters which she holds so dear at the beginning of the story juxtaposed with the letter she receives at the end of the story emphasize this symbolism. The elements in the story all combine to create a literary piece that shows his talent. Nothing in his storytelling feels rushed or thrown together, but rather artistically structured with a clear purpose in mind.
As both the main character and her love interest in the story are both musically motivated and inclined, Coryell intersperses the story with the original lyrics to the songs these characters write. While reading, I found myself blandly reading off the lyrics, but felt lost as to the rhythms and beat. Each time new lyrics would present themselves in the story, I felt myself longing for a soundtrack to accompany the reading (much like Jodi Picoult's Sing Me Home for those who are familiar with that title). I was pleased to know that Coryell brilliantly accomplished this through his other talents in the artistic medium of guitar. Readers can listen to the unique songs from the novel composed and performed by Dallas Coryell himself on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/DallasCoryell1) while reading. The listening experience provides deeper insight into the emotions and passions behind the songs that simply reading the lyrics does not fully allow. Aside from the fact that his musical talents bring justice and beauty to the words on the page, Coryell's voice matches the descriptors of the voice of the character Mason to add authenticity to this musical component. The incorporation of a soundtrack of sorts once again provides a deeper layer to the novel that most other stories and authors completely overlook.
And what would a love story be without some carnal, primitive desires that bring the characters together in more than one way? In true millennial fashion, Coryell's dialogue incorporates sexual innuendos that provide comic relief to the sometimes tense subject matter of his storyline. It also gives this contemporary piece a grounding factor that demonstrates an authentic capturing of the time period, character profiles, and intended audience. The incorporation of sexual references in his novel does not feel forced (in an attempt to pander to a specific audience) nor does it feel out of place in the story (I sometimes find myself wondering where that came from in other stories I've read). It is also never so overtly profane as to make a non-genre regular feel uncomfortable (at least not this reader who has frankly avoided Fifty Shades of Grey for that specific reason).
All-in-all, the book is a compelling read that kept me wanting to know what happened next. I found myself thinking of the story when I was away from it and wanting more time to sit with it to get through more of the story. I'm forever grateful to Dallas Coryell for sharing his story with me and for sharing his art (both literary and musical) with the world. His book is available in both digital and print formats (https://www.amazon.com/Melodys-Key-Dallas-Coryell/dp/1533430217), has received 4.5 stars on both Amazon and Goodreads, and is highly recommended to any readers looking for a lovely (pun intended) read.
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