The lost music

The Lost Music is an extraordinary book about two women and the piano that inexorably unites them across time and continents, for better or for worse.

Soviet Union, 1962. Eight-year-old Katya inherits what will become the love of her life: a Blüthner piano, built at the turn of the century in Germany, with which the girl discovers all she can do with music and what music, in turn, can do for her. However, after getting married, she flees with her young family to the United States at her husband's insistence, and the piano is lost in the process.

California, 2012. Twenty-six-year-old Clara Lundy is facing another breakup and needs to find an apartment, a task complicated by the gift her father gave her for her twelfth birthday, shortly before he and Clara's mother died in the fire that destroyed their home: an upright Blüthner that she never learned to play.

An orphan, she goes to live with her aunt and uncle, who trains Clara in his workshop to become a top-notch mechanic. But her work is put on hold when Clara breaks her hand trying to move the piano from her ex-boyfriend's house, and in frustration, she decides to sell it. What becomes crucial is finding out who the buyer is...

The mysterious—and tragic—connection between Katya and Clara is gradually and movingly revealed in this powerful novel about attraction, obsession, creative passion, love, and loss. In The Lost Music , Chris Cander crafts a delicate narrative that weaves together the fates of two women linked by the same piano. A true ode to the feminine condition and to music.

“Emotions resonate throughout Chris Cander's gripping narrative about a beloved piano changing hands.” — The Guardian

“Expertly crafted and beautifully written, this book is a delicate meditation on the healing power of art—and its limitations.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Cander weaves music and visual art into his writing brilliantly and convincingly, capturing both in an exotic yet surprisingly stunning landscape.” — Publishers Weekly

“Excellent characterization and attention to detail, whether in the craftsmanship of a piano or the desolate beauty of Death Valley, enhance Cander's story of learning to let go of the past.” — Booklist

“Cander’s straightforward prose weaves truly beautiful descriptions of the joy of music.” — BookPage