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Discord
Not yet published
Expected 16 Jun 26Charting the course of the intense and at times fractious relationship between middle-aged composer Rebekah Rosen and the young star-saxophonist Evie Bennet, Discord is a wry and insightful exploration of creative collaboration.
Jeremy Cooper, the author of Brian, returns with Discord, a subjective journey through the world of classical music. On a night in August, an audience at the Royal Albert Hall attends the first ever concert of Distant Voices. The Proms performance is the culmination of a year’s work between the middle-aged composer Rebekah Rosen and the young star-saxophonist Evie Bennet. Alternating between both perspectives, Discord charts the course of their intense and at times fractious relationship, the resonances and dissonances both women find within one another, as well as the struggles and satisfactions that accompany an artistic life. At the heart of the novel is an inquiry into the generative force behind creative collaboration. In what ways does the inexpressible – that amorphous space of friction and unity between musicians – become indelible? And by what process do flawed individuals create works of transcendence? Deeply insightful, at turns poignant and wry, Discord affirms Jeremy Cooper's status as one of the most interesting fiction writers at work today.
Jeremy Cooper, the author of Brian, returns with Discord, a subjective journey through the world of classical music. On a night in August, an audience at the Royal Albert Hall attends the first ever concert of Distant Voices. The Proms performance is the culmination of a year’s work between the middle-aged composer Rebekah Rosen and the young star-saxophonist Evie Bennet. Alternating between both perspectives, Discord charts the course of their intense and at times fractious relationship, the resonances and dissonances both women find within one another, as well as the struggles and satisfactions that accompany an artistic life. At the heart of the novel is an inquiry into the generative force behind creative collaboration. In what ways does the inexpressible – that amorphous space of friction and unity between musicians – become indelible? And by what process do flawed individuals create works of transcendence? Deeply insightful, at turns poignant and wry, Discord affirms Jeremy Cooper's status as one of the most interesting fiction writers at work today.
240 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 16, 2026
22 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Cooper
47 books31 followersJeremy Cooper is a writer and art historian, author of six previous novels and several works of non-fiction, including the standard work on nineteenth century furniture, studies of young British artists in the 1990s, and, in 2019, the British Museum's catalogue of artists' postcards. Early on he appeared in the first twenty-four of BBC's Antiques Roadshow and, in 2018, won
the first Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize for Ash before Oak.
the first Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize for Ash before Oak.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 2, 2026
Hmmm I’m not sure about this one! I was so engrossed at the start. Loved the unusual sentence structures and beautiful descriptions- and the relationship between the two protagonists, the composer and the soloist of a musical piece, was really dynamic, fruitful and interesting to follow. It did unfortunately wane towards the end. There were so many details added that were a little distracting from the book’s plot, which centres around the musical journey towards the performance of Rebekah’s piece in the Royal Albert Hall. the book’s structure reflects this trajectory, culminating in the big performance..but for such a build up it was a little underwhelming, and there was not a real sense of occasion around it. Maybe that was intentional ? I will reread the last bit. Anyway, solid 3.5 read
Displaying 1 of 1 review