What do you think?
Rate this book
Kaleidoscope Song
South Africa is loud. Listen. Do you hear the song and dance of it? The chorus of Khayelitsha life? Every voice is different, its pitch and tone and intonation as distinct as the words we choose and how we wrap our mouths around them. But everybody has a voice, and everybody sings…
Fifteen year old Neo loves music, it punctuates her life and shapes the way she views the world. A life in radio is all she’s ever wanted.
When Umzi Radio broadcasts live in a nearby bar Neo can’t resist. She sneaks out to see them, and she falls in love, with music, and the night, but also with a girl: Tale has a voice like coffee poured into a bright steel mug, and she commands the stage.
It isn’t normal. Isn’t right. Neo knows that she’s supposed to go to school and get a real job and find a nice young boy to settle down with. It’s written everywhere – in childhood games, and playground questions, in the textbooks, in her parents’ faces. But Tale and music are underneath her skin, and try as she might, she can’t stop thinking about them.
Fifteen year old Neo loves music, it punctuates her life and shapes the way she views the world. A life in radio is all she’s ever wanted.
When Umzi Radio broadcasts live in a nearby bar Neo can’t resist. She sneaks out to see them, and she falls in love, with music, and the night, but also with a girl: Tale has a voice like coffee poured into a bright steel mug, and she commands the stage.
It isn’t normal. Isn’t right. Neo knows that she’s supposed to go to school and get a real job and find a nice young boy to settle down with. It’s written everywhere – in childhood games, and playground questions, in the textbooks, in her parents’ faces. But Tale and music are underneath her skin, and try as she might, she can’t stop thinking about them.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2017
20 people are currently reading
1329 people want to read
About the author
Fox Benwell
6 books159 followersFox Benwell is a queer, trans, disabled (critically acclaimed) YA writer, an adventurer and wannabe-knight. He holds degrees in international education and writing for young people, and is working on a PhD on disability representation. He has as much of a thing for story structure as for the underdog, and is, in essence, a nerd.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 17, 2018
Ok, first review so don't judge.
I picked up this book because as a queer South African I found it interesting to find a book like this since I literally haven't found a book that's more 'story' with original characters than 'my South African LGBT experience.'
That being said, I was highly surprised that this story was being told by a non-South African and not a lesbian.
Despite this I dived in and I can say I was fairly surprised by the research that done and excuted in the story. There was enough, let me just say, 'South African atmosphere' that I was missing home (I live in America now) fiercely and actually listened to some of the good hits mentioned in the book.
The book was a good read and I finished it off in two days. There were some minor occurrences where something's were wrong (we don't have ten rand coins, we have notes; we don't work with the American system of grading, we use percentages) but there was a lot of effort put in that made things really seem thorough and didn't stop me reading from irritation.
However, I can say that there are some things that could've done it better for me. I would've liked for there to be more clear distinction between the races of the all the characters because although not having the characters being distinguished by race-- if the story is a South African story then there needs to a distinction. South Africa (sorry if I keep saying South Africa a lot) went through a harsh time period of Apartheid and even though it isn't going on today, everyone is still acutely aware of each others race and I would've liked to have seen this in the book instead of the usual tiptoeing around it that I've seen in other books before.
It also would've been nice to see more modern South African music. I would've loved to see names like Dj Kent or AKA and Mi casa pop up. It's nice seeing the classics but these are things that we listen to as well.
Now, the descriptions are really what got me into the book. The beauty of the descriptions got me craving more and set me down for the story. I wanted to reach into Neo's mind and keep holding on to the golden thoughts she experienced, the things and songs she heard and the rush of emotions she felt. The good story telling and the atmosphere the story set achieved a good read and many homesick feelings from me at times. The entire thing felt very interesting and thought-driven and made me think on my home and how LGBT people were represented there.
Anyways I hope this wasn't too jumbled!
I picked up this book because as a queer South African I found it interesting to find a book like this since I literally haven't found a book that's more 'story' with original characters than 'my South African LGBT experience.'
That being said, I was highly surprised that this story was being told by a non-South African and not a lesbian.
Despite this I dived in and I can say I was fairly surprised by the research that done and excuted in the story. There was enough, let me just say, 'South African atmosphere' that I was missing home (I live in America now) fiercely and actually listened to some of the good hits mentioned in the book.
The book was a good read and I finished it off in two days. There were some minor occurrences where something's were wrong (we don't have ten rand coins, we have notes; we don't work with the American system of grading, we use percentages) but there was a lot of effort put in that made things really seem thorough and didn't stop me reading from irritation.
However, I can say that there are some things that could've done it better for me. I would've liked for there to be more clear distinction between the races of the all the characters because although not having the characters being distinguished by race-- if the story is a South African story then there needs to a distinction. South Africa (sorry if I keep saying South Africa a lot) went through a harsh time period of Apartheid and even though it isn't going on today, everyone is still acutely aware of each others race and I would've liked to have seen this in the book instead of the usual tiptoeing around it that I've seen in other books before.
It also would've been nice to see more modern South African music. I would've loved to see names like Dj Kent or AKA and Mi casa pop up. It's nice seeing the classics but these are things that we listen to as well.
Now, the descriptions are really what got me into the book. The beauty of the descriptions got me craving more and set me down for the story. I wanted to reach into Neo's mind and keep holding on to the golden thoughts she experienced, the things and songs she heard and the rush of emotions she felt. The good story telling and the atmosphere the story set achieved a good read and many homesick feelings from me at times. The entire thing felt very interesting and thought-driven and made me think on my home and how LGBT people were represented there.
Anyways I hope this wasn't too jumbled!
January 29, 2020
(I rated this book 3.5 stars).
I'm really confused about my feelings for this one. The story itself was beautiful, raw, and emotional, albeit incredibly difficult to read (as a victim of corrective rape myself). But something about it rubbed me the wrong way.
Spoilers below!
Normally I am incredibly outspoken about the constant killing of lesbians in stories. Not as much so here; I understand that this wasn't meant to have a happy ending and the summary makes that very clear. However, I don't know how I feel about a man, especially a white man, telling this story. I feel like it wasn't his to tell, even if he did live some of his life presenting as a gay woman and even if there was evidently a lot of care taken to make sure everything was written with sensitivities to the culture in mind. I'd like to see a story like this told by an actual South African lesbian; not by a white man (but of course black lesbians are almost never picked up by publishers lol). Men writing tragic lesbian stories rubs me the wrong way in general. WHITE men writing tragic black lesbian stories rubs me the wrong way even more.
I'm really confused about my feelings for this one. The story itself was beautiful, raw, and emotional, albeit incredibly difficult to read (as a victim of corrective rape myself). But something about it rubbed me the wrong way.
Spoilers below!
Normally I am incredibly outspoken about the constant killing of lesbians in stories. Not as much so here; I understand that this wasn't meant to have a happy ending and the summary makes that very clear. However, I don't know how I feel about a man, especially a white man, telling this story. I feel like it wasn't his to tell, even if he did live some of his life presenting as a gay woman and even if there was evidently a lot of care taken to make sure everything was written with sensitivities to the culture in mind. I'd like to see a story like this told by an actual South African lesbian; not by a white man (but of course black lesbians are almost never picked up by publishers lol). Men writing tragic lesbian stories rubs me the wrong way in general. WHITE men writing tragic black lesbian stories rubs me the wrong way even more.
August 22, 2017
Everyone has a voice, and everyone sings. Oh, we all do it differently. (…) There are angry songs and sad songs and songs that make you want to dance. But everybody has a song to sing, their own personal story leaked into the world.
Fox Benwell has such a way with words – they don’t just paint you a picture, they play you a symphony. And in a book all about music, and passion, and how everything can be turned into a song, into music if you just listen carefully, these words pick you up and take you along for an amazing journey that hits all the right notes.
This book is for the music lovers, for young people in love, for people figuring themselves out, for those curious about the world, what it can offer you and how you can change it. For the explorers, for the quiet ones listening to their own world, music always in their heads, for the ones who want to dance and the ones who want to create, to leap from their boundaries. It’s for everyone, just as music is everywhere.
Neo’s story is one of passion, music, love, self-discovery, exploration, the risks and power of raising your voice. She lives in a society that expects certain things of her, a path she can’t follow if she must stay true to herself. It’s the story of how she finds her own way through tradition and expectations, and how she makes her mark. It’s happy and it’s sad and it’s contemplative – but above all it’s true to itself and real.
Fox Benwell is an amazing storyteller, and this book and its characters will stay with me for a long while. It has beautiful prose, a moving story, and a mixture of feelings and emotions that are proof and consequence of a book that reaches deep and moves you, that makes you think, wonder. I can’t recommend it enough.
February 7, 2021
As other reviewers say, I am conflicted on several accounts. Before I get into those things, I just want to say that this is so well-written, unlike anything I've read before. I loved the style, and I loved how Neo's love for music came through so clearly - I could definitely hear the sounds and noises of Neo's Cape Town neighbourhood. I also loved the complex relationships in Neo's family - they were all such real and flawed characters.
Now, the things that I'm conflicted about:
- I am tired of tragic queer stories. *That* scene was EXTREMELY harrowing
- there's absolutely no markers of race for any character... In my mind, I assumed Neo and Tale are black (as most characters), but I wish at least some descriptors were used (as a South African reviewer pointed out, given the country's history, they'd be acutely aware of this)
- I do wonder if a British author should write about this, but I can understand their perspective in the Afterword. Fox Benwell did a lot of research and admits to this not being the one story, and urges readers to seek South African black queer voices.
Rep: South African characters and setting, lesbian main character, lesbian love interest, trans side character, gay side characters
CW: homophobic slurs, hate crime, homophobia, corrective r*pe, murder
Now, the things that I'm conflicted about:
- I am tired of tragic queer stories. *That* scene was EXTREMELY harrowing
- there's absolutely no markers of race for any character... In my mind, I assumed Neo and Tale are black (as most characters), but I wish at least some descriptors were used (as a South African reviewer pointed out, given the country's history, they'd be acutely aware of this)
- I do wonder if a British author should write about this, but I can understand their perspective in the Afterword. Fox Benwell did a lot of research and admits to this not being the one story, and urges readers to seek South African black queer voices.
Rep: South African characters and setting, lesbian main character, lesbian love interest, trans side character, gay side characters
CW: homophobic slurs, hate crime, homophobia, corrective r*pe, murder
November 6, 2017
We have to write the world we know, not just the world we are. If every author had to stick to their biographical or biological details, literature would be an impoverished place. That said, when you write another culture, you have to do it well and with great sensitivity, and Fox Benwell does do it well and with great sensitivity. This is an extraordinary book.
Benwell takes us on a journey to South Africa and into the experience of Neo, a music-loving teen who discovers she loves another girl.
Beautifully written, steeped in atmosphere and with fully-rounded characters, this is one of those rare novels to which I could completely surrender. I loved Neo and her (flawed, but believable) family, friends and workmates and let myself be completely carried away by the sounds, the smells and the story.
So when the painful bit came, it hurt as badly as any author could want. It has been over a fortnight, and my eyes still fill with tears when I think about it.
This is a real, true, beautiful book based on meticulous research that brings the pain of girls in Neo's situation alive for any reader who wants to see.
Benwell takes us on a journey to South Africa and into the experience of Neo, a music-loving teen who discovers she loves another girl.
Beautifully written, steeped in atmosphere and with fully-rounded characters, this is one of those rare novels to which I could completely surrender. I loved Neo and her (flawed, but believable) family, friends and workmates and let myself be completely carried away by the sounds, the smells and the story.
So when the painful bit came, it hurt as badly as any author could want. It has been over a fortnight, and my eyes still fill with tears when I think about it.
This is a real, true, beautiful book based on meticulous research that brings the pain of girls in Neo's situation alive for any reader who wants to see.
August 23, 2020
OH my god. I'm sobbing so hard I can't breathe. But this book. Honestly it is sooo worth it. It's the actual best thing. Finding wlw books is a pain. Finding good wlw books is well I'm not sure I've read any that are better than passable. This one tho. It is incredible. It's beautifully written and the charcters are beautiful and it is so scary that this is the real world but it is and it teaches us we need to be fighting it. My heart is broken. But it is broken in the most incredible way possible.
P.S. This was my second reading (I needed to make sure my recommendation was warrented. IT WAS.) and I knew what would happen yet it still screwed me over.
P.S. This was my second reading (I needed to make sure my recommendation was warrented. IT WAS.) and I knew what would happen yet it still screwed me over.
March 28, 2020
TW:homophobia, death of a love one
This book is so sad but yet do powerful and you should read this
This book is so sad but yet do powerful and you should read this
January 19, 2018
I wish I could give this book a higher rating, I really do. I adored all the nuances and the feelings that the music made me feel from this book. The details of how the beats of music thrum through everything and all you have to do is listen was great. I adore music, and this book helped me appreciate everything all the more. Neo was so damned passionate and every podcast and ABCs of music she made was like a fantasy, making me feel apart of something so much bigger than myself.
The romance, and the setting of the book in itself was also really great. It was very heartbreaking to hear about Neo and Tale's, well, tale. How even though things appear to be safe and accepted on the surface, there's that danger and fear that lurks under the surface. Neo's longing towards Tale and her song felt so real and powerful and it was beautiful and adorable. I also adored Tale's band members, Cap especially. I'm so glad that even though things weren't always the best, Tale was able to find a support group from Tam's bar and her friends.
But...I dunno.
This is purely my 2 cents and I should stop rambling at this point, but yeah. I think the book had a lot of potential and great moments, but that the ending left me feeling let down, lacking something- and also with a lot of questions. Sorry.
The romance, and the setting of the book in itself was also really great. It was very heartbreaking to hear about Neo and Tale's, well, tale. How even though things appear to be safe and accepted on the surface, there's that danger and fear that lurks under the surface. Neo's longing towards Tale and her song felt so real and powerful and it was beautiful and adorable. I also adored Tale's band members, Cap especially. I'm so glad that even though things weren't always the best, Tale was able to find a support group from Tam's bar and her friends.
But...I dunno.
This is purely my 2 cents and I should stop rambling at this point, but yeah. I think the book had a lot of potential and great moments, but that the ending left me feeling let down, lacking something- and also with a lot of questions. Sorry.
December 15, 2017
I absolutely loved the first 3/4 of this book, but I’m getting really tired of tragic queer stories. You can read my full review here - https://skysreadingcorner.wordpress.c...
June 23, 2021
This book warmed my heart just in time to completely shatter it and that is not a complaint. The author’s writing style is unique and beautiful and genuinely made me share the feelings of the characters.
Neo’s relationships with Tale, music and her family all felt real, which really makes the ending more impactful. I also appreciate the amount of research from the author that went into this story so that South Africa would be represented thoughtfully.
This book does deal with some very heavy themes so tw for corrective rape and murder.
Neo’s relationships with Tale, music and her family all felt real, which really makes the ending more impactful. I also appreciate the amount of research from the author that went into this story so that South Africa would be represented thoughtfully.
This book does deal with some very heavy themes so tw for corrective rape and murder.
September 21, 2017
Review also posted on my blog, Books and Big Ideas
**Disclaimer: I received an electronic ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kaleidoscope Song is a new release from Fox Benwell centered around the South African music scene and treatment of LGBTQ issues. Now, it appears that the synopsis (above) has changed since I requested the book, potential out of fear of it being a "spoiler," so I really want to mention this as it is a huge trigger warning: one of the issues this book deals with is corrective rape. (This is the practice of men raping queer women to "cure" them by showing them what they're supposed to like.) Even knowing this going on, it still came when I didn't quite expect it. It isn't terribly graphic, but it does not downplay the issue,and ultimately it ends with an uplift. Frankly, lesser authors would have left the story shortly after the tragedy instead of unpacking it and emphasizing that our community survives and endures. Furthermore, Benwell's author's note is great at explaining the complex situation in South African in regard to LGBTQ rights and attitudes, as well as his own privileges.
What's immediately apparent in Kaleidoscope Song is the distinctive detail and voice. I admit to not knowing much about South Africa, so I am unsure how accurate some parts are, but the detail indicates it was well-researched. This can make it a little confusing and first--Facebook and cassette tapes?--but that just makes it a worthwhile window into a world we here in American don't think too much about. Neo's voice--especially her connection to music is also so vivid and beautiful, and particularly poignant to a fellow music-lover (and queer girl) myself.
I loved seeing Neo grow into her own voice (or song, as the narrative says) as she got her own radio show and grew more confident in her identity. I very much rooted for the romance between Neo and Tale, and a lot of that attests to how well Neo's complex feelings are communicated. There is palpable tension--not just the sexual tension before they get together, but the fears of being found out. Some of the tension dissipated as Neo successfully sneaked out of her house over and over, but then there were new tensions. I do wish a got a little more of the minor characters in their group, but shout out to Neo's little brother, Jesu, is also so cute and loving and made me cry.
There's also an extensive playlist/list of songs in the back that are mentioned or Benwell drew inspiration from--mostly South African tunes--that are going to be interesting to check out! I definitely recommend this book (if you are prepared for/comfortable with the subject matter) for its detail, voice, characterization, and storyline! It is also a pretty quick read because the chapters are quite short.
**Disclaimer: I received an electronic ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kaleidoscope Song is a new release from Fox Benwell centered around the South African music scene and treatment of LGBTQ issues. Now, it appears that the synopsis (above) has changed since I requested the book, potential out of fear of it being a "spoiler," so I really want to mention this as it is a huge trigger warning: one of the issues this book deals with is corrective rape. (This is the practice of men raping queer women to "cure" them by showing them what they're supposed to like.) Even knowing this going on, it still came when I didn't quite expect it. It isn't terribly graphic, but it does not downplay the issue,and ultimately it ends with an uplift. Frankly, lesser authors would have left the story shortly after the tragedy instead of unpacking it and emphasizing that our community survives and endures. Furthermore, Benwell's author's note is great at explaining the complex situation in South African in regard to LGBTQ rights and attitudes, as well as his own privileges.
What's immediately apparent in Kaleidoscope Song is the distinctive detail and voice. I admit to not knowing much about South Africa, so I am unsure how accurate some parts are, but the detail indicates it was well-researched. This can make it a little confusing and first--Facebook and cassette tapes?--but that just makes it a worthwhile window into a world we here in American don't think too much about. Neo's voice--especially her connection to music is also so vivid and beautiful, and particularly poignant to a fellow music-lover (and queer girl) myself.
I loved seeing Neo grow into her own voice (or song, as the narrative says) as she got her own radio show and grew more confident in her identity. I very much rooted for the romance between Neo and Tale, and a lot of that attests to how well Neo's complex feelings are communicated. There is palpable tension--not just the sexual tension before they get together, but the fears of being found out. Some of the tension dissipated as Neo successfully sneaked out of her house over and over, but then there were new tensions. I do wish a got a little more of the minor characters in their group, but shout out to Neo's little brother, Jesu, is also so cute and loving and made me cry.
There's also an extensive playlist/list of songs in the back that are mentioned or Benwell drew inspiration from--mostly South African tunes--that are going to be interesting to check out! I definitely recommend this book (if you are prepared for/comfortable with the subject matter) for its detail, voice, characterization, and storyline! It is also a pretty quick read because the chapters are quite short.
August 4, 2021
Mini blurb: A South-African lesbian teen who lives and breathes music chases her radio dream despite her parents, falls in love, experiences pain and betrayal and finds her tribe.
***
Despite some editing issues and implausibilities, and its being a book about a South African lesbian written by a white trans man, this is a raw, poetic account of first loves and queer tribulations on the backdrop of a passion for music and radio. Except "backdrop" isn't the right word, because the protagonist's all-encompassing love for music and burning desire to be a radio host are as much at the core of this story as her love for another girl is. Colourful and powerful and outrageous and heartbreaking, with a final hopeful note.
Full review to come.
***
Despite some editing issues and implausibilities, and its being a book about a South African lesbian written by a white trans man, this is a raw, poetic account of first loves and queer tribulations on the backdrop of a passion for music and radio. Except "backdrop" isn't the right word, because the protagonist's all-encompassing love for music and burning desire to be a radio host are as much at the core of this story as her love for another girl is. Colourful and powerful and outrageous and heartbreaking, with a final hopeful note.
Full review to come.
September 24, 2017
This one gets a trigger warning: rape and major character death. There will be spoilers in this review. The no-spoiler review: I cried through the last 70 or so pages of this book. It is a hard read. That said, it is also a beautifully written and evocative book about music and the power of voice and song, set in South Africa. A book about love that is forbidden and glorious.
Kaleidoscope Song
Fox Benwell
~fiction, teen, POC, LGBTQ, South Africa, music, 'corrective' rape, death, visible vs invisible, family, consequences, hope, love
Music infuses every inch of this story. Neo has been in love with sound since she can remember. She can hear the rhythm and tone in everything, from the cadence of crowds to the swish of brooms and staccato beat of basketballs. Not to mention all of the lullabies sung by mothers putting their little ones to bed to all the songs played on the radio. The author captures the rhythms and beats in Neo's head perfectly with his writing style - sentence fragments and word choices and more.
And when her favorite radio station is hosting a show at a local bar, she knows she has to sneak out and experience it. What she doesn't expect is to be utterly mesmerized by the lead singer of the first band, a girl named Tale.
She can tell her bestbest friend, Janet (who is obsessed with the radio show's host, Max), everything about that night except Tale. She knows that she must keep that part of her life utterly hidden, even from the person she's known longest and best. Her feelings are dangerous in every way.
When she meets Tale, and her band, she finds a kind of acceptance and love she never expected. And when she gets a job, through her strict father who works the front desk at the radio station - surrounded by music - it seems like her life couldn't be better.
But people, including her restrictive parents and overbearing boss, are watching her. Especially as she finds her voice and produces her own show. She decides to ignore warnings from friends and others and use her show as a platform, not understanding the consequences. And, walking back home from a Pride march hand-in-hand with Tale, the worst happens. It's horrific and horrifying. [[spoilers]] They are surrounded by men and Neo is raped while she listens to Tale being beaten to death. Some of the men, she knows. And works with.
The hopeful part is that Neo learns the power of her voice and how to use it, at the very end. She decides to live and use her experiences to fuel engender hope and help for others like her.
There is a very good afterword from the author, acknowledging his privilege as a white British man (FtM, trans), with resources for LGBTQ folks. There is also a comprehensive playlist of the music Neo loves at the end.
I do recommend this book.
Kaleidoscope Song
Fox Benwell
~fiction, teen, POC, LGBTQ, South Africa, music, 'corrective' rape, death, visible vs invisible, family, consequences, hope, love
Music infuses every inch of this story. Neo has been in love with sound since she can remember. She can hear the rhythm and tone in everything, from the cadence of crowds to the swish of brooms and staccato beat of basketballs. Not to mention all of the lullabies sung by mothers putting their little ones to bed to all the songs played on the radio. The author captures the rhythms and beats in Neo's head perfectly with his writing style - sentence fragments and word choices and more.
And when her favorite radio station is hosting a show at a local bar, she knows she has to sneak out and experience it. What she doesn't expect is to be utterly mesmerized by the lead singer of the first band, a girl named Tale.
She can tell her bestbest friend, Janet (who is obsessed with the radio show's host, Max), everything about that night except Tale. She knows that she must keep that part of her life utterly hidden, even from the person she's known longest and best. Her feelings are dangerous in every way.
When she meets Tale, and her band, she finds a kind of acceptance and love she never expected. And when she gets a job, through her strict father who works the front desk at the radio station - surrounded by music - it seems like her life couldn't be better.
But people, including her restrictive parents and overbearing boss, are watching her. Especially as she finds her voice and produces her own show. She decides to ignore warnings from friends and others and use her show as a platform, not understanding the consequences. And, walking back home from a Pride march hand-in-hand with Tale, the worst happens. It's horrific and horrifying. [[spoilers]] They are surrounded by men and Neo is raped while she listens to Tale being beaten to death. Some of the men, she knows. And works with.
The hopeful part is that Neo learns the power of her voice and how to use it, at the very end. She decides to live and use her experiences to fuel engender hope and help for others like her.
There is a very good afterword from the author, acknowledging his privilege as a white British man (FtM, trans), with resources for LGBTQ folks. There is also a comprehensive playlist of the music Neo loves at the end.
I do recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2018
It starts in a bar. One of ours, in the heart of Khayelitsha. Nothing special on the outside but inside, tonight, two hundred people cram together beneath the corrugated roof and wait, turned out in their Friday Bests, because everyone knows you have to look good for the radio (1).
Thanks to the great curating at my local public library, I stumbled onto this book totally by accident—intrigued by its cover and by the description on the inside flap. I had just seen the somewhat bland movie, Alex Strangelove, on Netflix and so I was intrigued by a coming out story set in a different country—with the love of music as a backdrop. What I wasn’t prepared for was to be sucked into a story that intrigued me, inspired me, but also pulled my heart out and stomped on it.
This is the story of Neo, a young woman from a township in Cape Town who loves music and wants music to be her life. However, her parents have other more practical plans for her education—she could open a beauty shop like her mother, go into accounting, or work in the tourist industry. She dreams of getting a job at UmziRadio, where her father works at the front desk, but her parents’ refrain is “Music is no life. You go to school, you get good grades, you listen. That’s your life.” On the surface, Neo obeys her parents but inside, she is constantly listening to the rhythms around her and dreaming of a different future.
However, as the novel opens, things are about to change. Neo sneaks out of the house to meet her friend Janet and go to local bar where the hosts of UmziRadio will be hosting a series of live bands. However, Janet doesn’t show up at the arranged meeting place, so Neo screws up her courage and attends the event alone.
I should feel nervous. Terrified that somebody will see my schoolgirl aura and drag me home by the ear. I should feel bad. Rebellious. But all I feel is right (3).
And then the first band, Tale and the Storytellers, takes the stage and Neo sees the lead singer:
And the band steps up and there she is, and it feels like that moment when the CD player loads your favorite track, and you wait for an infinity for the song that makes you whole and breaks you and changes something every single time. All in one forever-second (5).
By the end of the evening Neo is hooked on the music and on Tale, even though she can barely acknowledge her own desires. These are desires that fly in the face of her upbringing and of her community; however, Neo is brave and as she takes slow hesitant steps toward her dreams, she finds a community and a first love. However, this is not a Hollywood movie or even a Netflix original; it’s real life and there are consequences for Neo’s choices.
May 23, 2022
I started this book a couple of months back and then life got in the way and I reluctantly shelved it.
How glad am I that this weekend was my Kaleidoscope Song weekend? Pulled a late nighter, finished and almost went right back to the beginning again!
This is a beautifully, lyrically written story. An ode to love and finding love, friendship and identity. It’s also about fear and loss but, for me at least it’s about falling in love with MUSIC.
A phenomenal read from start to finish (and probable start again, as I just want to bathe in this lush prose for a little bit longer).
Fox Benwell has captured the pulse and the rhythm of Neo’s journey in a way that is hard to believe a non-South African native could have.
Some reviews here have commented on what was missed or could have been included or that Fox isn’t the “gender appropriate” writer of such a story due to its nature.
Pah!
Read this book for the richness of detail.
Read this book because you love words, lyrics, music and love.
Read it with your heart and your mind wide open and let it fill them both to the brim with a kaleidoscope of song.
Thanks for the wonderful read Fox and the endless list of music to discover and rediscover!
Oh, and Miriam Makeba’s Suliram (Tinggilah, tinggi, si matahari) lulled me to sleep last night when I eventually closed this book. Bliss.
How glad am I that this weekend was my Kaleidoscope Song weekend? Pulled a late nighter, finished and almost went right back to the beginning again!
This is a beautifully, lyrically written story. An ode to love and finding love, friendship and identity. It’s also about fear and loss but, for me at least it’s about falling in love with MUSIC.
A phenomenal read from start to finish (and probable start again, as I just want to bathe in this lush prose for a little bit longer).
Fox Benwell has captured the pulse and the rhythm of Neo’s journey in a way that is hard to believe a non-South African native could have.
Some reviews here have commented on what was missed or could have been included or that Fox isn’t the “gender appropriate” writer of such a story due to its nature.
Pah!
Read this book for the richness of detail.
Read this book because you love words, lyrics, music and love.
Read it with your heart and your mind wide open and let it fill them both to the brim with a kaleidoscope of song.
Thanks for the wonderful read Fox and the endless list of music to discover and rediscover!
Oh, and Miriam Makeba’s Suliram (Tinggilah, tinggi, si matahari) lulled me to sleep last night when I eventually closed this book. Bliss.
September 19, 2017
Full review here: http://www.thebookishsisters.com/kale...
I want to start off by saying that there’s no way in heck this review will do justice to this amazing, magnificent, beautiful book. So go buy it now. Even before you read this review because that’s how amazing it is. Trust me on this. You need this book in your life.
Neo’s story might be fictional but there is nothing but the truth in Fox Benwell’s words. Even though she is a fictional character, there are actually a lot of Neos out there fighting for their rights and fighting to survive when they shouldn’t have to. They should be able to live their lives like any other human in this Earth. Some might have it easier than her, some have gone through horrible things we can’t even begin to imagine.
Kaleidoscope Song is a small contribution to this cause (that shouldn’t even be a cause). It creates awareness. It makes you think and want to help and it makes you want to educate yourself.
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. If Benwell’s words resonated so much with me (a straight Mexican young woman), imagine how much it would mean to a lesbian or anyone from the LGBTQIA+ community.
PLEASE pick up this book as soon as you can.
I want to start off by saying that there’s no way in heck this review will do justice to this amazing, magnificent, beautiful book. So go buy it now. Even before you read this review because that’s how amazing it is. Trust me on this. You need this book in your life.
Neo’s story might be fictional but there is nothing but the truth in Fox Benwell’s words. Even though she is a fictional character, there are actually a lot of Neos out there fighting for their rights and fighting to survive when they shouldn’t have to. They should be able to live their lives like any other human in this Earth. Some might have it easier than her, some have gone through horrible things we can’t even begin to imagine.
Kaleidoscope Song is a small contribution to this cause (that shouldn’t even be a cause). It creates awareness. It makes you think and want to help and it makes you want to educate yourself.
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. If Benwell’s words resonated so much with me (a straight Mexican young woman), imagine how much it would mean to a lesbian or anyone from the LGBTQIA+ community.
PLEASE pick up this book as soon as you can.
November 4, 2017
This book wasn't bad by any means, I think it sheds light on a disturbing/somewhat unknown part of some cultures. I guess the part I didn't like was the music, not that it was all bad it just got old after a while. I got the whole picture of "music isn't your future, but the main character does stuff anyway." I got it--teenagers make mistakes. However, I am giving the author props for discussing corrective rape, a term I'd never heard before. I feel bad for not liking this more, and for not being able to pinpoint what exactly it was that I didn't like. But sometimes there are just books that you cannot find a reason for....so I'm sorry. There were things I liked, the setting in South Africa, LGBTQ themes, etc. but maybe it was the writing that I didn't like? Not sure.
January 25, 2018
To be fair, I was warned that corrective rape was a theme in this book right on the book jacket. But as horrific as that was, when it came, I was not prepared for a murder. And then, though there was still a good chunk of book left, it felt as though all of the voices had been silenced. Perhaps this was what the author was going for? Hard to say. But the story feels incomplete. I feel a new awareness of lack of tolerance for homosexuals in South Africa, and I feel a lot of anger, but I also feel...unresolved. And kind of bummed that a book with a big beautiful rainbow kaleidoscope on its cover has left me feeling this way.
July 3, 2018
This book is hard to read. There are times where it crushed me and all I could do was stare at the wall. But it is important, because it is REAL. This is a story that needs to be told, because it is and has been a reality for so many people. It speaks of love and passion (both for music and for people) in a way that is sure to touch your heart. It calls out for something to be done. For us to all help create a world where these stories are a lot less of a reality. If you are looking for a lighthearted romance, this is not that kind of book. Nevertheless, I encourage you to read it. We need reminders like this to hold what we love close, and never let go.
November 9, 2018
I powered through this book in one day, and I can wholeheartedly say that I would do it again in a heartbeat. This book is so important to me, and it made me feel alive. The music, the music that seeps into your skin and flows through your veins, Neo’s music, Tale’s music... It made me feel alive. Books like this are so important to me. For the first time in what feels like years, I cried at a story. This book made me feel whole and alive, and yet strangely empty.
Tale’s name was too accurate. Her and Neo’s story began with a song at a bar, and will never end. It can never end, because her friends let her live on. I can wholeheartedly say that I will read this again.
Tale’s name was too accurate. Her and Neo’s story began with a song at a bar, and will never end. It can never end, because her friends let her live on. I can wholeheartedly say that I will read this again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2017
The whole first half of this was kind of slow and then it swooped in out of nowhere and broke my heart, made me furious, completely sickened me, and gave me so much hope that I was a complete mess. Also, 10/10 for all the references to musicians—I used to listen to Mzwahke Mbuli, Miriam Makeba, and Vusi Mahlasela CONSTANTLY when I was taking South African history in college. (I'm so used to thinking of my interest in it as weird and out there—I almost cried when they mentioned "Shosholoza" and the Soweto Gospel Choir's "Asimbonanga/Biko" medley!)
January 30, 2018
I don't know where to begin.
This story was so light and yet so heavy, so alive and yet dying inside.
Here is the thing: Neo loves music. She lives and breathes music. She can tell you more about artists and songs and albums than you ever knew was there to know. But she doesn't stop here. She hears the music in everyday life, the joy and sorrow, the light and dark, the laughter and the tears, in the haggling at the market and the talking on the streets.
So in a way, this book appreciates music, but also life itself, the colour and brightness and chaos of it all.
And then comes the other part because we are in South Africa and I made it all the way to the author's notes before realising this was not an Own Voices book. Perhaps I should have looked it up before starting, perhaps this is a sign of me also being white European and not knowing if any of it is wrong or fake. It read true, it read well-researched and alive and like it could be happening right now.
Don't get me wrong - I loved the setting and what it brought to the book, the strong background flavour it added, the way it shaped the characters and their view of the world, their music.
But South Africa, for all its progressiveness on paper, is still a dangerous place for queer people, and women, and queer women. This book does not shy away from that - AT ALL - and I was truly not prepared for some of the things that happened here. Hence the trigger warning.
I do love the hopeful tone it ends on, though, and I deeply wish it could have had an actual happy ending, but that would not have fit the setting, I fear.
This story was so light and yet so heavy, so alive and yet dying inside.
Here is the thing: Neo loves music. She lives and breathes music. She can tell you more about artists and songs and albums than you ever knew was there to know. But she doesn't stop here. She hears the music in everyday life, the joy and sorrow, the light and dark, the laughter and the tears, in the haggling at the market and the talking on the streets.
So in a way, this book appreciates music, but also life itself, the colour and brightness and chaos of it all.
And then comes the other part because we are in South Africa and I made it all the way to the author's notes before realising this was not an Own Voices book. Perhaps I should have looked it up before starting, perhaps this is a sign of me also being white European and not knowing if any of it is wrong or fake. It read true, it read well-researched and alive and like it could be happening right now.
Don't get me wrong - I loved the setting and what it brought to the book, the strong background flavour it added, the way it shaped the characters and their view of the world, their music.
But South Africa, for all its progressiveness on paper, is still a dangerous place for queer people, and women, and queer women. This book does not shy away from that - AT ALL - and I was truly not prepared for some of the things that happened here. Hence the trigger warning.
I do love the hopeful tone it ends on, though, and I deeply wish it could have had an actual happy ending, but that would not have fit the setting, I fear.
August 1, 2017
Fox has such a way with words. He took me on an adventure of the heart and left me feeling fulfilled. I am a huge music lover and was drawn in by the cover alone. But Kaleidoscope song is such an original idea that thinks outside of contemporary fiction, which I don't normally like. But I'll be reading more from him, guaranteed.
My beloved Fox, you deserve all the starred reviews for this book and more!
My beloved Fox, you deserve all the starred reviews for this book and more!
September 15, 2017
I didn't get to finish this one - Though I like music just fine I'm not a fan of YA books that are seeped in the subject; hence the 4 stars.
However, Fox Benwell has beautiful writing. Like the book's subject, their words flow like lyrics and the love story like a poem. It's worth reading for the writing and alone.
The setting was also enticing - the South African radio scene and the descriptions of the way the music makes the city and its youth come alive. Very enchanting.
However, Fox Benwell has beautiful writing. Like the book's subject, their words flow like lyrics and the love story like a poem. It's worth reading for the writing and alone.
The setting was also enticing - the South African radio scene and the descriptions of the way the music makes the city and its youth come alive. Very enchanting.
July 20, 2018
I didn’t fall in love like I was hoping but it was still a really good book! I loved the way the protagonist described music, from a listener’s point of view. I love that it was a South African story. I love that it was a lesbian story. What sucked was how I couldn’t figure out what else there was to Tale. Sure, the first encounter was perfect, but after initial lust, there was no reason given to falling in love with her...
October 31, 2018
This was such an impressive book, with the music coming off every page and such vivid characters throughout. However, while reading the book I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, because the foreshadowing to the pivotal scene is very well done; there's just something about the character involved that raises the hairs on your neck and makes you pray the thing you think might happen won't happen, and then when it does it's such devastation. Very powerful book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2020
I love reading books with a playlist, especially if it’s new music to me. This book is set in South Africa, so both the culture AND music were unfamiliar. My only previous exposure being many books by Bryce Courtenay, but they are set in the past.
This fast paced story, tells of Neo’s life as she navigates school, work, and her real love, music. She finds her first love and experiences the brutality of life when your choices are sanctioned by your culture.
This fast paced story, tells of Neo’s life as she navigates school, work, and her real love, music. She finds her first love and experiences the brutality of life when your choices are sanctioned by your culture.
June 9, 2021
ok the concept of this book was great.
the two people fell in love, all that stuff, unaccepting parents, super sweet baby brother...
but it didn't make me FEEL anything really. i felt bad for neo but i didn't feel her pain and anger n all that. and the romance felt really rushed and-- weird. she sees a girl on a stage and gets obsessed with her then suddenly they're having sex...
not my favorite overall but i liked the pride marches and the author's note about education and all that.
the two people fell in love, all that stuff, unaccepting parents, super sweet baby brother...
but it didn't make me FEEL anything really. i felt bad for neo but i didn't feel her pain and anger n all that. and the romance felt really rushed and-- weird. she sees a girl on a stage and gets obsessed with her then suddenly they're having sex...
not my favorite overall but i liked the pride marches and the author's note about education and all that.
May 21, 2018
I liked this book, until the use of the trope. It didn't need to be what it ended up being, and all in all has probably wrecked my mental health for a year. Here is your warning, this book is not the cute and quirky thing that it seems to be. If you want to read positive queer stories find something else.
August 14, 2020
This book was beautifully written and probably could have been 5 stars if I hadn't know what was going to happen and attempted to avoid getting too invested. Having said this, it still made me cry.
(Also for Ms Hill, it probably would be fine for the school library as it's not very graphic. Definitely senior fiction though)
(Also for Ms Hill, it probably would be fine for the school library as it's not very graphic. Definitely senior fiction though)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews