East

by Miles Rothwell

East is the story of Max Dewey, Australian musician and co-founder of the successful band - East. Max is a gifted musician with hedonistic tendencies which he is unapologetic about. The plot is predominately chronological with a few flashback passages. The reader is introduced to Max's family, fellow band members and his journey, including the band's inception from early gigs to international success. Along the way Max flirts from one relationship to another without looking back as it is the music he is focused on.
On the surface his life looks perfect - money, fame, cars, a passport to the life but lurking not too far under the surface is a secret that only a close childhood friend knows about. Max has another personality, a female named Siobhan, who competes with him for attention.
The book is in four parts, titled - Avalon, Zen, Synchronicity and Death which separate the key elements of the story. There are references to art, film and other musicians. Mostly set in Australia there are other settings including Amsterdam, London and Los Angeles.
At the beginning of the story there is mention of a death in Max's family, an older sister which Max avoids dealing with by concentrating on his career, but this omission surfaces in the creation of a magnum opus, a song that Max continues to work on over the years.
The style of the book is at times surreal in nature, with dream sequences and drug induced hallucinations interrupting the flow of Max and Siobhan's struggle. There are escapades to the North Coast of NSW, an interview with Rolling Stone and a radio disc jockey plus an audition with a mythical musical legend and hero in L.A. before going on tour with some of the greatest musicians in the world.

ebook

Published September 20, 2016

About the author

Miles Rothwell was born in Sydney, Australia in 1962. His first creative piece of writing was a short poem titled - Snow which impressed his school teacher so much he had to read it in front of his class mates which by all accounts was a terrifying experience.
When the band Talking Heads released 'Remain In Light', Miles became obsessed with writing lyrics. After reading Joyce's 'Ulysses', Miles knew he wanted to become an author. His first manuscript was written while living in Darlinghurst in the 1980's.
Miles wanted to be a musician but had neither the skill or aptitude to progress, so writing became an obsession trying to emulate the likes of Joyce, Proust, Pynchon and Patrick White.
Music is a constant theme in all his novels as Miles sees Music as Humankind's most artistic pursuit.
Favourite Books:
Ulysses - extraordinary, brilliant and full of risks.
Gravity's Rainbow - simply a work of genius
À la recherche du temps perdu - superb re-counting of detail taken to the most extreme level
Tree of Man - White at his best, there is something noble in the ordinariness of the characters.
Catch-22 - the book that changed my years in high school
The Glass Bead Game - pure genius and one of the most under rated novelists
Miles ranks making Spike Milligan laugh at an ABC shop book signing as one of his greatest personal moments.