Review: The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch

In The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch, Nell Slattery comes to consciousness in a Iowa hospital after she has survived a deadly airplane crash. Only she and another passenger survived - the remaining 158 passengers were killed instantly. Nell, however, has suffered a brain injury and is completely unable to remember anything. As she tries to piece together her life, she is dependent on family and friends to help her recreate the life she cannot remember but each has an agenda and selectively withholds information from Nell in an effort to protect her or to protect themselves.

Nell is intent on re-creating herself - they are clues that she may not have been the most likable person - but she needs to understand who she was in order to create someone different. Nell Slattery decides shortly after awakening that she will allow a local Iowan reporter, Jamie, tell her story. It is a big break for Jamie and his research provides Nell with an unbiased view into the past she cannot remember. The others in her life - husband Peter, sister Rory and mother Indira, may each know more about her life than Jamie but they also tell a slightly modified version as they try to hide things from Nell. For example, Nell's father left when she was younger and her mother keeps telling Nell half-truths in an effort to re-write that history. But Nell doesn't want a cleaned up version of her past - she wants the truth so she can understand what shaped her, who she was and what she needs to change if she is going to be a different person.

 In talking to those closest to her, in addition to acquaintances, Nell learns that she had a hard edge and that she could cut someone with her quick tongue and dismissive barbs. She catches herself behaving the same way at times after the accident and muses about how much of her personality she can really effect and how much is just inherent. She also observes that she lived her life "in beige" - her clothes are neutral, she had a joyless relationship with her husband and she seemed to find enjoyment in very little. She existed in her life without really living it. Courageously, she takes the tragedy of the accident as an opportunity to change herself and especially to really live in the moment. One gift of losing your memory is that you cannot live in the past.

My Thoughts
The Song Remains the Same explores how experiences shape you versus what is hard-wired into your personality. The story is well-written and the author beautifully handles the introspective aspects of this book as Nell considers who she was but more importantly who she wants to become. By wrapping that introspection, however, into an appealing narrative with a likable main character facing family dysfunction with which many readers can relate, the author succeeds in creating a quick read with much to offer. A perfect New Year read as many of us consider what we would like to change in the coming year!