Review: Counterpoint: Dylan's Story by Ruth Sims

As many of you know I'm a fan of m/m historical romance so this book by Ruth Sims was very appealing.  It's not your typical romance, although it contains two romantic story lines, because it breaks some romantic conventions - something I think some readers may not like.  Instead it's a Victorian set drama about the creative life and frustrations of Dylan.

We first meet Dylan as a pupil at St Bede's where his inattentiveness in lessons and his compulsion to do nothing but compose music does not endear him to his tutors, especially when his compositions do not fit into musical canon.  After an incident with a stolen key, Dylan is sent home in disgrace only to be brought back when the music teacher has an accident.  One condition of Dylan being brought back to St Bede's is that he has extra lessons to make up for his poor results overall.  His tutor is Lawrence, who sees that Dylan is ahead of his time with his music and offers him quiet support along with the tuition.  When Lawrence realises that Dylan has fallen in love with him, and that he has feelings for Dylan too, Lawrence decides to leave St Bede's and move to Paris, only to meet Dylan there when the young man is taking his 'Grand Tour'.

There's was much to like about this story and hands down my favourite part was the way that the frustrations and difficulties of Dylan and his music was portrayed.  I'm not a huge fan of classical music but this is Dylan's passion and that shines through the plot of the story.  He's musically ahead of his time and as a result encounters nothing but indifference, criticism and downright contempt for what he is trying to do.  The story is set in the late 1800's and maybe if Dylan had been composing 30-40 years on, then he would have had significant acclaim for his work.  I liked that there is some comparison with what Dylan is doing and the Impressionist painters who were also reviled for the new techniques they were using in art.  Dylan begins the story as a hot headed and arrogant young man, certain that he is going to set the musical world on fire, and part of his development as a character is coming to terms with the fact that no-one understands what he is trying to do.  By the end he is still hot-headed and sure of his talent, but more resigned and mature.  He spends a great deal of the book seething with frustration at the actions of others, and the way he is constantly blocked or prevented from doing what he feels is musically the best thing.  The innate snobbery of the musical world also comes across strongly, and again leads to Dylan bashing heads with those who could possibly further his career.

In many ways I admired the tenacity of Dylan and his unwillingness to conform to what society and the musical world expected of him.  However, he's also very flawed as a character because in some ways he's just as blinkered as those who can't or won't understand his music.  At times his arrogance and self-centred attitude were not not most endearing qualities and his obliviousness to the opinions and feelings of others made him difficult to like on occasion.  This is where the character of Lawrence was so successful.  He balanced and soothed Dylan's brashness.  Lawrence is a loyal supporter of Dylan and loves him despite his flaws but he also isn't afraid to gently steer Dylan in the right direction when needed.  I liked Lawrence a great deal and he came across as caring and loving without being a pushover.

The story is divided into two parts, with part one ending with a shocking event which brought me to tears.  It's a different Dylan who emerges from this event.  He's less self centred and most of his frustrations are based on trying to get the musical world to accept a talented violinist, Geoffrey, who was born a Romany gypsy and therefore looked down on with disgust by society.  The character of Geoffrey gets a lot of page space towards the end of the book and I found him to be an interesting character. He's a much more generous person than Dylan, more caring and affectionate but he's also more fatalistic and at times very naive.  Despite this, I liked Geoffrey and was glad at the way things worked out for him.

One thing to say about this book is that it certainly puts you through the emotional wringer.  There were times when I wasn't sure I could continue as time and time again things went badly for the characters. It's to the author's credit that the story never tipped into melodrama, mainly because the story is so firmly grounded in the time period and therefore felt realistic. It all works out for Dylan at the end and I was left feeling happy for him and optimistic that things would continue to improve.

Overall this historical has a strong sense of setting - Paris in particular was depicted with loving care; flawed but realistic characters; an unusual musical theme and a story which takes you on a number of highs and lows. I greatly enjoyed it and was so engrossed I could hardly bear to put it down. I'm giving Counterpoint: Dylan's Story a grade of 'Excellent' and highly recommend it to all fans of historical romance.

Buy this book HERE.