Title: A Different Drummer
Author: Deirdre O’Dare
Publisher: Amber Allure
Amazon Buy Link: A Different Drummer
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella / 17,000 words
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
A Guest Review by ZenHarley
Review Summary: An interesting “opposites attract” premise, but never realizes its full potential.
Blurb:
Jest has been on his own since his mid-teens and still blesses the chance that allowed him to realize his dream of playing percussion in a band, one that has become his substitute family. Although he misses the close sharing, he doesn’t expect to find a partner, and certainly not one as clearly out of his element as the man, looking totally lost and friendless, who one night wanders into the club where Jest’s band plays.
Greene has struggled to build himself a life far from the undisciplined communal community in which he grew to his mid-teens. He’s lonely, though, and not sure how to remedy that, so he keeps working as a game programmer in Silicon Valley until he makes a faux pas at a party. Traveling aimlessly, he meets Jest and the other members of Taken By Storm, and is intrigued but terrified of slipping back into a disorderly world like the one of his childhood. Opposites do attract, but can a rebel percussionist and a totally uptight game programmer find common ground for a partnership?
Review:
This story never totally clicked for me; the characterizations seemed flat and overly reliant on stereotypes, and I found the plot implausible. But I’m cranky and picky, and others may find it more to their taste than I did.
What worked for me:
The ying/yang element of Jest and Greene’s backgrounds created a nice sense of irony for the two of them as a couple. Had they been switched at birth, they may have had much happier childhoods, as Greene’s parents seemed perfect for Jest, and vice versa. It was also good to see a story featuring a band that was happily mid-level: Taken by Storm was a respected and liked club band in Las Vegas. They weren’t trying to win any Grammys or achieve major stardom — they did what they did, earned a decent living from it, and the people and the music stayed at the core. The parts of the story featuring the band, its members and its history were for me the most interesting and three-dimensional of all.
What didn’t:
The whole reason behind Greene’s flight to Vegas was a bizarre encounter at a company party that just didn’t come off as realistic. He gets blown off, but in overwritten language that no one would use in real life:
Dude, you’re stuck in the twentieth century in your personal life. Suits and ties? Shit, a person would think you worked for the prehistoric Xerox or IBM. Frankly, I wouldn’t take you to a dog fight, and I’d rather kiss my kid brother, nerd-jerk that he is.
That sort of forced, unnatural dialogue show up a lot, and it’s like the writer popping up in the text, waving “look at me!” every time it happens. It was also unfortunate that both characters’ families were no more than stock characters: the cold uncaring rich parents, the too-stoned-to-care hippy parents. Siblings were mentioned, but as data only; we never got a sense of these two men as sons or brothers, or in any other role other than freaky drummer and uptight programmer.
Lastly, we have insta-commitment: Within days of meeting, Jest and Greene are pronouncing undying love and planning to buy a place together. As with all Insta!Love, it’s not impossible, just…. a bit too convenient.
The sex scenes were OK, and with the exception of some of the dialogue, the writing was clear and professional.
The old “opposites attract” trope can be wonderful fun when done well, and this novella gets close, but doesn’t quite clear the bar, at least for me. Perhaps others may enjoy it more.
Cautiously recommended.
Peace,
Zen