Solo Variations

Solo Variations takes you backstage into the glamorous, demanding world of the performing arts, and into the very soul of a young, struggling artist. Twenty-six-year-old Gala, a classically trained oboist, has both the schooling and the talent to excel at her art, yet finds herself incapacitated by fright at every audition. As her friends and boyfriend begin to make their rise in the field, she is left behind, her loneliness and anxiety enveloping her.

Frozen, Gala turns to her family for support, but after years of bitterness and feuding her parents have announced their divorce and are pressuring her to decide between them. Her own love life unraveling as well, Gala is granted the strange freedom of one who has nothing left to lose. She begins an affair that introduces a choice that will redefine the course of her life. Solo Variations tells a moving story about the perils of artistic ambition, the fragility of desire, and the ambiguity of love.

"Moving and beautifully written... Painful in its accuracy and intelligence, this novel establishes Cassandra Garbus as a writer to watch." --Erica Jong

"A smashing first novel...the narrative brims with all the excitement of a world-class symphony tuning up before a big concert." --Baltimore Sun

"Gala is a heroine with a first-rate mind and a fine heart." --Susan Isaacs

"A compelling debut...a vividly realistic examination of love and promises broken." --Kirkus Reviews