Sweeter Life

By Tim Wynveen

Tim Wynveen, winner of the Commonwealth Writers Best First Book prize, has outdone himself with his new novel, masterfully weaving themes of creativity, memory, time, loss and reconnection into the fragmented lives of the Owen family

Ten years after their parents die in a car accident, Cyrus, Isabel and Hank Owen are still trying to put their lives in order. Hank, the eldest, is in prison. The second-born, Isabel, is on the verge of divorce. Cyrus, the youngest in the family, is consumed by a crazy dream -- to one day become a rock star. Three siblings; three solitary figures looking for a way forward; three separate melodic lines that, when they meet, cause more dissonance than harmony.

As the story begins, Cyrus quits school and hits the road with the Jimmy Waters Revival, a curious entertainment that combines the southern fire of a Jimmy Swaggart with the oral narratives of a modern-day Homer. Even within his adopted musical family, Cyrus struggles to find his way, too caught up in his dream to see his life for what it really is, and after twelve years of wandering, he returns home a broken man.

Yet his time on the road has taught him how important it is to strike a balance between individual and group, soloist and ensemble -- lessons that will serve Cyrus well when he tries to make a new start with Hank and Isabel. As he pays more attention to the needs of his fractured family and old friends, he begins to create for the first time in his life the sweet and elusive music of human connection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9780307366252

Reviews for Sweeter Life

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a sweeping story of decades in the life of the Owen siblings. Hank, the eldest is in prison. Isabel is in an unhappy marriage. And the youngest, Cyrus, wants to be a rock star. Their parents died when Hand and Isabel were young adults and Cyrus still a young child. He was raised by his maternal aunt, Ruby, and her husband, Clarence. As the novel opens, Cyrus has quit school to pursue his musician dreams. A chance encounter with impresario Ronnie Conger launches his career, touring with the Jimmy Waters Revival show -- a collection of talented musicians and, in Jimmy, someone who improvises monologues on stage each evening.We watch each of the siblings struggle with their life choices, and struggle to retain the family ties which bind them. This is a story about choices, taking responsibility and trying to remember what's really important.I mostly liked it -- but nowhere near as much as I did Mr. Wynveen's first novel, Angel Falls. I found this book dragged a bit; maybe those more interested in the music biz wouldn't agree. All in all, just okay for me.