In 1901, a concert pianist from New York City travels to Boston to the Everett Piano Company seeking the perfect piano. Months earlier, he’d come by a small pouch of mystical ashes after helping a destitute old woman. At the Everett warehouse, upon discovering what he felt certain was the perfect piano, he impulsively sprinkles the bag’s contents into the brand-new instrument while reciting a vodou spell. The piano begins to speak.
This is the unusual story of a sentient piano’s adventures and experiences over the next 123 years. Everett goes from being the toast of the town during the Gilded Age, to a life in a mafia speakeasy, then on to a bordello, and eventually to the tropics. Through Prohibition, the Depression, two World Wars, and the Cuban Revolution. He meets people from every walk of life and witnesses the evolution of American society, politics, fashion, and music
Everett can feel, hear, and talk, but, like any other piano, he can’t move. His story examines what it means to be alive yet unable to control one’s life. Who is he? What is he, and why is he here? Through his unique friendships he learns about the world around him, and over time begins to understand the nature of his being. He learns about love and tragedy, confusion and loneliness, life and death. He eventually ends up in the home of an author who offers to write his story. They become friends and embark on yet another adventure, a quest for discovery, and the final journey.
A piano that can talk due to a voodoo spell takes the reader on a historical journey through the 20th century and beyond. York's creativity shines through once again.