It’s been a while since a book made me cry and this one is a tearjerker. Every Note Played is a tragic novel that centres around a world-renowned concert pianist, Richard, whose life takes a dramatic turn when he’s diagnosed with the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS disease – a type of nervous system disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cords.

The story begins when Richard loses feeling in the fingers of his right hand. And as he progressively loses the ability to control his muscles, he faces the grim reality that he will never play the piano again. Richard’s whole life has always been dedicated to the piano and he’s sacrificed his family for the glamourous life of a celebrated pianist. Divorced from his wife, Karina, three years prior and estranged from his own daughter who is now in college, he faces the situation alone.

Everything changes however when his ex-wife finds out about the diagnosis. She steps in to help and reluctantly becomes his caretaker as his condition worsens. An equally gifted pianist, Karina never had the opportunity to fulfil her own dreams, living with resentment and regrets throughout their marriage. Richard, being arrogant and self-centred, is not easy to take care of, and despite a bitter divorce, the new circumstance forces them to learn to let go and reassess their own lives.

“On the road leading to any great achievements are a thousand missteps, a thousand more dead ends. Success cannot be born without the life and death of failure.”

– Every Note Played, Lisa Genova

The author of this book is herself an accomplished neuroscientist and she has done very well in capturing the viciousness of ALS, and how it affects sufferers and their families. This is an important book in that it raises awareness on the disease as well as highlights the challenges faced by caretakers. And more than just being about ALS, it also teaches a lesson on the true meaning of compassion and the power of forgiveness.

“Maybe what’s done can be undone. Maybe that’s what apology is for.”

– Every Note Played, Lisa Genova

There were talks in 2020 about making a film out of this book with Angelina Jolie as a main cast. However, four years on, there hasn’t been any new updates on it. I do hope that this will happen though for this story will definitely make a great movie.