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The Alchemy of Noise
In a world so full of lonely people and broken hearts, Chris Hawkins, a black sound engineer from Chicago’s south side, and Sidonie Frame―white, suburban-raised, the head manager of one of the city’s most elite venues―meet by work-related happenstance and fall quickly in love, convinced that by that act alone they can inspire peace, joy, and happiness in the world around them. The world, however, has other ideas.
Their meeting is serendipitous. Chris, who owns and runs his company, largely spends his time surrounded by members of his own community; Sidonie, conversely, is rarely outside the environs of work and its predominantly white staff and clientele. But when the club’s sound manager goes AWOL on the night of a big event and Chris is hired to come in as a last-minute replacement, their destinies collide.
Immediately drawn to each other, they fall quickly into an unexpected and thrilling relationship, inspiring myriad reactions amongst family and friends on both sides of the racial divide. But even as their love story evolves, day-to-day tensions, police disruptions, and the microaggressions Chris constantly encounters as a black man in the gritty environs of Chicago become a cultural flashpoint, challenging Sidonie’s privileged worldview and Chris’s ability to translate the unfolding events. After a random and gut-wrenching series of police encounters shakes their resilience, it’s the shattering circumstance of a violent arrest―one in which Chris is identified as a serial vandal and potential rapist―that sends their world into free fall.
He claims his innocence; she believes him. But the forces pushing against them are many and oppressive. With a looming trial, the dissipating loyalties of key allies, and unforeseen twists triggering doubt and suspicion, Sidonie and Chris are driven to question what they really know of each other and just whom to trust, leading to a powerful and emotional conclusion.
Lorraine Devon Wilke’s third novel, The Alchemy of Noise, ventures beyond the humor and pathos of family drama explored so cleverly in her first two novels to dig deep into the politics of contemporary culture. At its heart a love story, it explores the complexity of race in a suspenseful drama driven by issues of privilege, prejudice, police profiling and legal entanglements, and the disparities in how those provocative themes impact the various and diverse characters involved.
Their meeting is serendipitous. Chris, who owns and runs his company, largely spends his time surrounded by members of his own community; Sidonie, conversely, is rarely outside the environs of work and its predominantly white staff and clientele. But when the club’s sound manager goes AWOL on the night of a big event and Chris is hired to come in as a last-minute replacement, their destinies collide.
Immediately drawn to each other, they fall quickly into an unexpected and thrilling relationship, inspiring myriad reactions amongst family and friends on both sides of the racial divide. But even as their love story evolves, day-to-day tensions, police disruptions, and the microaggressions Chris constantly encounters as a black man in the gritty environs of Chicago become a cultural flashpoint, challenging Sidonie’s privileged worldview and Chris’s ability to translate the unfolding events. After a random and gut-wrenching series of police encounters shakes their resilience, it’s the shattering circumstance of a violent arrest―one in which Chris is identified as a serial vandal and potential rapist―that sends their world into free fall.
He claims his innocence; she believes him. But the forces pushing against them are many and oppressive. With a looming trial, the dissipating loyalties of key allies, and unforeseen twists triggering doubt and suspicion, Sidonie and Chris are driven to question what they really know of each other and just whom to trust, leading to a powerful and emotional conclusion.
Lorraine Devon Wilke’s third novel, The Alchemy of Noise, ventures beyond the humor and pathos of family drama explored so cleverly in her first two novels to dig deep into the politics of contemporary culture. At its heart a love story, it explores the complexity of race in a suspenseful drama driven by issues of privilege, prejudice, police profiling and legal entanglements, and the disparities in how those provocative themes impact the various and diverse characters involved.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 9, 2019
17 people are currently reading
1374 people want to read
About the author
Lorraine Devon Wilke
7 books79 followersAN ACCOMPLISHED WRITER in several genres of the medium, Lorraine Devon Wilke, a Chicago native and one of eleven children, has built a library of expertly crafted work with a signature style that exudes intelligence and humor. Whether screenplay or stage play, article or editorial; short story or novel, her work captures the edge and emotion of real life, incorporating original plots, jump-off-the-page dialogue, and though-provoking themes.
In 2010 she launched her “arts & politics” blog, Rock+Paper+Music, from 2011 to 2018 was a popular contributor at HuffPost and other news and media sites; she publishes a column at Medium, and in 2024, launched her popular SUBSTACK, Musing of a Creative Loudmouth. Known for her “sass and sensibility,” her work has been reprinted and excerpted in academic tomes, non-fiction books, and literary journals; a catalogue of select articles can be found at Contently.com,
Both her award-wining novels, AFTER THE SUCKER PUNCH and HYSTERICAL LOVE are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her third novel, THE ALCHEMY OF NOISE (She Writes Press 2019) has garnered editorial accolades and several literary awards.
The inspiration for her fourth novel, CHICK SINGER (Sibylline Press, April 2025), evolved from a lifetime of singing, songwriting, and full-body immersion in world of rock & roll, which began in her teens and carries into current days. Its dive into the wild, creative culture of music — the art, the industry; the impact of its complex machinations on the characters involved — is one she knows well, allowing her to bring the narrative to vibrant, authentic life.
Her fifth novel, THE WEIGHT OF FABLES, is set for a Fall 2027 release by Sybilline Press.
She continues performing as a singer-songwriter, taking photographs, traveling, staying politically active, and enjoying family and friends.
Having left Illinois with a rock band heading west, Devon Wilke lives where she landed: in Los Angeles, with her husband, attorney/writer/producer, Pete Wilke; her son and other extended family nearby.
linktr.ee/lorrainedevonwilke
In 2010 she launched her “arts & politics” blog, Rock+Paper+Music, from 2011 to 2018 was a popular contributor at HuffPost and other news and media sites; she publishes a column at Medium, and in 2024, launched her popular SUBSTACK, Musing of a Creative Loudmouth. Known for her “sass and sensibility,” her work has been reprinted and excerpted in academic tomes, non-fiction books, and literary journals; a catalogue of select articles can be found at Contently.com,
Both her award-wining novels, AFTER THE SUCKER PUNCH and HYSTERICAL LOVE are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her third novel, THE ALCHEMY OF NOISE (She Writes Press 2019) has garnered editorial accolades and several literary awards.
The inspiration for her fourth novel, CHICK SINGER (Sibylline Press, April 2025), evolved from a lifetime of singing, songwriting, and full-body immersion in world of rock & roll, which began in her teens and carries into current days. Its dive into the wild, creative culture of music — the art, the industry; the impact of its complex machinations on the characters involved — is one she knows well, allowing her to bring the narrative to vibrant, authentic life.
Her fifth novel, THE WEIGHT OF FABLES, is set for a Fall 2027 release by Sybilline Press.
She continues performing as a singer-songwriter, taking photographs, traveling, staying politically active, and enjoying family and friends.
Having left Illinois with a rock band heading west, Devon Wilke lives where she landed: in Los Angeles, with her husband, attorney/writer/producer, Pete Wilke; her son and other extended family nearby.
linktr.ee/lorrainedevonwilke
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 16, 2019
The Alchemy of Noise is a beautifully rendered family drama full of secrets and touches of humor. But beyond that, it’s thought provoking and has a compelling love story. It also examines racial profiling and other contemporary hot button issues with candor and grace.
Overall, I loved the diversity in this engaging read and how strongly it made me feel. Thanks to my friend, Kate, for the nudge to read this memorable book.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Overall, I loved the diversity in this engaging read and how strongly it made me feel. Thanks to my friend, Kate, for the nudge to read this memorable book.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
March 22, 2024
Hand Over Heart ♥️Breathe.
Whenever I write a post on my Facebook page, I always end my posts this way – Hand Over Heart ♥️Breathe.
I do this as an opportunity to breathe in the moment I am experiencing/reading. As I consider this book, I just want to take it in. Pause. Reflect. To take it in…Because this book experience was truly achingly beautiful. The story gives readers so much…Beauty. Heartache. Tragedy. Pain. Sweetness. Sadness. Gladness. Shock. Readers even feel…Enraged. Helpless. And eventually…Hopeful.
This is a story about what happens when a Black man (Chris) falls in love with a White woman (Sidonie) and they form a relationship and choose to live together. He is a sound engineer. She is the manager of the club where he works.
And then, one day as he heads to his job, he is stopped, and questioned by the police, arrested, and chaos ensues.
And then something else, comes up which creates a fracture in their relationship. Will they be able to overcome these stresses? Will she believe in him?
As readers we are immersed in the emotional depth that the author takes us. And when the characters are pushed to extremes, we can’t help but feel the strain.
The letter that Sidonie writes to Chris calls to all of us to embrace her feelings of concern…(partial shown)
“It’s not that I’m naïve or unaware. Events shock me. I’m outraged about people being treated differently, by the statistics and stories that prove that everything about life in this country can be, and too often is, biased and bigoted against people of color. I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t as aware that everyday people – honest, hard-working good people living their lives while existing in black skin – were just as vulnerable.”
As readers, we can’t help but root for this couple. And, in the author’s note, she shares some insights from her own personal experiences.
Also, through her writing, she has brought a sensitivity and awareness to some of the issues that are key for conversation regarding race and bias.
This is a book that needs to be read and discussed.
4.5 stars rounded up.
Whenever I write a post on my Facebook page, I always end my posts this way – Hand Over Heart ♥️Breathe.
I do this as an opportunity to breathe in the moment I am experiencing/reading. As I consider this book, I just want to take it in. Pause. Reflect. To take it in…Because this book experience was truly achingly beautiful. The story gives readers so much…Beauty. Heartache. Tragedy. Pain. Sweetness. Sadness. Gladness. Shock. Readers even feel…Enraged. Helpless. And eventually…Hopeful.
This is a story about what happens when a Black man (Chris) falls in love with a White woman (Sidonie) and they form a relationship and choose to live together. He is a sound engineer. She is the manager of the club where he works.
And then, one day as he heads to his job, he is stopped, and questioned by the police, arrested, and chaos ensues.
And then something else, comes up which creates a fracture in their relationship. Will they be able to overcome these stresses? Will she believe in him?
As readers we are immersed in the emotional depth that the author takes us. And when the characters are pushed to extremes, we can’t help but feel the strain.
The letter that Sidonie writes to Chris calls to all of us to embrace her feelings of concern…(partial shown)
“It’s not that I’m naïve or unaware. Events shock me. I’m outraged about people being treated differently, by the statistics and stories that prove that everything about life in this country can be, and too often is, biased and bigoted against people of color. I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t as aware that everyday people – honest, hard-working good people living their lives while existing in black skin – were just as vulnerable.”
As readers, we can’t help but root for this couple. And, in the author’s note, she shares some insights from her own personal experiences.
Also, through her writing, she has brought a sensitivity and awareness to some of the issues that are key for conversation regarding race and bias.
This is a book that needs to be read and discussed.
4.5 stars rounded up.
April 7, 2019
This book. Stop what you are doing. And read this book. It’s heartbreaking, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s daring in the most important way.
Sidonie and Chris are falling for each other in what promises to be the great love story of their lives. They adore each other, make each other laugh, and think, and smile. The magnetism was instant and that’s all that matters right? Sadly, no. Because Sidonie is white, and Chris is black. So sadly, love is definitely not enough in this urban Chicago tale of a mixed-race couple who go through not only an emotional, but psychological rollercoaster that is the very definition of trauma.
This book haunts me - but it’s a good thing. I cannot stop thinking about it. I feel as if Sidonie and Chris are real people, and in a way, they are - as the gut-wrenching brutality, tension, and racism is entirely plausible in this day in age. The conflict is a character in itself - and it’s an incredible, and though-provoking love story, a legal drama, and examination of culture in the truest sense.
I loved every minute of this this story, and I often wonder how Sidonie and Chris are doing after the last page was read. I will think of them often, and their story will resonate with me forever.
Sidonie and Chris are falling for each other in what promises to be the great love story of their lives. They adore each other, make each other laugh, and think, and smile. The magnetism was instant and that’s all that matters right? Sadly, no. Because Sidonie is white, and Chris is black. So sadly, love is definitely not enough in this urban Chicago tale of a mixed-race couple who go through not only an emotional, but psychological rollercoaster that is the very definition of trauma.
This book haunts me - but it’s a good thing. I cannot stop thinking about it. I feel as if Sidonie and Chris are real people, and in a way, they are - as the gut-wrenching brutality, tension, and racism is entirely plausible in this day in age. The conflict is a character in itself - and it’s an incredible, and though-provoking love story, a legal drama, and examination of culture in the truest sense.
I loved every minute of this this story, and I often wonder how Sidonie and Chris are doing after the last page was read. I will think of them often, and their story will resonate with me forever.
August 4, 2019
This is a beautifully written novel that explores racism through the eyes of an interracial couple. The author is master of crafting a provocative narrative that hooks the reader with well fleshed our characters. I had to know whether or not Sidonie and Chris would end up together or if the pressure from society would destroy them. It is an extremely important read that will break your heart and open your eyes. I will remember this book for years to come!
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review from Booksparks.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review from Booksparks.
April 17, 2019
The Alchemy of Noise is an honest, empathetic, and powerful look at racial tensions in modern America, explored through one interracial couple’s burgeoning relationship—and how it plays on the concerns and assumptions of their friends and families. The writing is excellent, the characters full and real and conflicted—just like life.
While I loved Chris and Sidonie, and rooted for them to rise above the noise the world is throwing at them, I particularly loved their respective support systems. That these characters are as well-developed as the main characters speaks volumes about the care and passion of the writing. Chris’s relationship with his mother and sister in particular made me laugh and cry.
Highly recommended.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.
While I loved Chris and Sidonie, and rooted for them to rise above the noise the world is throwing at them, I particularly loved their respective support systems. That these characters are as well-developed as the main characters speaks volumes about the care and passion of the writing. Chris’s relationship with his mother and sister in particular made me laugh and cry.
Highly recommended.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.
April 20, 2019
“Move your hands away from your pocket.! Now! Now!!”
Two guns are pointed within inches of Chris’s head as another officer swoops in to grab the hand reaching into his pocket.
The video pauses—
The Alchemy of Noise: A Novel by Lorraine Devon Wilke is a readable romance/drama where the brutalities of life come into focus early on. The topic of racism is clearly drawn at the forefront.
This author writes with sophistication and her heart on her sleeve. Told with a deep sense of emotion that makes me certain this storyline hits close to home. Less fiction and more true life. A sad truth, but life can be harsh and there are moments in this book that don’t spare us from that. Not that we need to hide from what is right in front of our faces. It’s an uncomfortable reality that feels wrong especially in the twenty-first century. Haven’t we learned anything from the past?
There were unsettling scenes in the story that scream (tick, tick tick) off the pages that left me feeling shame that there is still so much racism in this world. This is a topic that needs to be explored and not swept under the rug. I give the Miss Wilke credit for going there! And with great passion, bravery and humanity.
Two guns are pointed within inches of Chris’s head as another officer swoops in to grab the hand reaching into his pocket.
The video pauses—
The Alchemy of Noise: A Novel by Lorraine Devon Wilke is a readable romance/drama where the brutalities of life come into focus early on. The topic of racism is clearly drawn at the forefront.
This author writes with sophistication and her heart on her sleeve. Told with a deep sense of emotion that makes me certain this storyline hits close to home. Less fiction and more true life. A sad truth, but life can be harsh and there are moments in this book that don’t spare us from that. Not that we need to hide from what is right in front of our faces. It’s an uncomfortable reality that feels wrong especially in the twenty-first century. Haven’t we learned anything from the past?
There were unsettling scenes in the story that scream (tick, tick tick) off the pages that left me feeling shame that there is still so much racism in this world. This is a topic that needs to be explored and not swept under the rug. I give the Miss Wilke credit for going there! And with great passion, bravery and humanity.
May 5, 2019
4.5
Overall: I think I only half read the synopsis a lot of the time - I thought this was going to be an ‘ordinary’ love story, but it was way, way more than that - Sidonie is a white woman and Chris a black man. They fell totally in love, almost instantly, but is that enough? Are their worlds too far apart? I absolutely loved this book, and found myself engrossed in their story and journey. I felt a somewhat deep connection with Sid and Chris’ characters. The story is just heart wrenching - I really couldn’t put the book down, and it will stay haunting me for a long time to come. If you haven’t yet read this - it must be next on your TBR!
Overall: I think I only half read the synopsis a lot of the time - I thought this was going to be an ‘ordinary’ love story, but it was way, way more than that - Sidonie is a white woman and Chris a black man. They fell totally in love, almost instantly, but is that enough? Are their worlds too far apart? I absolutely loved this book, and found myself engrossed in their story and journey. I felt a somewhat deep connection with Sid and Chris’ characters. The story is just heart wrenching - I really couldn’t put the book down, and it will stay haunting me for a long time to come. If you haven’t yet read this - it must be next on your TBR!
August 31, 2019
Fell head over heels in love with this book. Insightful and sad reality of how racial bias plays a complicated and powerful role in what should have been a simple love story. A must read!
January 11, 2023
There is a lot to unpack in this book regarding interracial relationships, the injustice of profiling by police, and knowing where to stand.
I liked nearly all of the characters. Vanessa wasn't high on my list because she seemed angry all the time. I understood where she was coming from, but she felt like if she wasn't beating you over the head with her opinions and you didn't jump immediately, then you didn't care about her plight. I see too much of that in our world from both sides of the spectrum and do not like it, so didn't like it in the book from her.
Frank was another one that really bugged me, especially in the end. He was definitely part of the "good ol' boys" network. I saw sprinklings of it throughout the book, but more so at the end.
Sidonie and Chris found an unlikely love between the two of them. They endured a lot throughout the book and it really brings to light how easy some of us might have it in this life. Sidonie really gets a dose of that after encounters with her cranky neighbor and the police.
This is a book that can start some conversations and would be good for a book club.
I liked nearly all of the characters. Vanessa wasn't high on my list because she seemed angry all the time. I understood where she was coming from, but she felt like if she wasn't beating you over the head with her opinions and you didn't jump immediately, then you didn't care about her plight. I see too much of that in our world from both sides of the spectrum and do not like it, so didn't like it in the book from her.
Frank was another one that really bugged me, especially in the end. He was definitely part of the "good ol' boys" network. I saw sprinklings of it throughout the book, but more so at the end.
Sidonie and Chris found an unlikely love between the two of them. They endured a lot throughout the book and it really brings to light how easy some of us might have it in this life. Sidonie really gets a dose of that after encounters with her cranky neighbor and the police.
This is a book that can start some conversations and would be good for a book club.
April 13, 2019
A couple of years ago I was honored to read an early version of this novel. Its impact on me was profound. Even in draft form, this story rang so true throughout that I could never quite stop thinking about it. Today, in one sitting—because I simply could not put it down—I read this final, published version and again I am flooded with so many intense reactions that I know I will continue to reflect on this story for years to come.
I read a lot. I love the feel of a good book in my hands, be it a novel, a biography, or a memoir. And I often love the books I read for many of them transport me into some other world for however long it takes to read it. But I do not often feel like a book is flawlessly written. I do not often feel like every character, every line of dialogue, every scene is so perfectly orchestrated as to become as real to me as those people and scenes in my own life. I am not often haunted by the story and its truths about the world, our country, even about myself. But I feel this way about Alchemy of Noise.
This is a beautifully written and haunting love story that strips away any blinders one might consciously or unconsciously wear about what it means to be a black man in America today. In the author’s note at the end of the book, Devon Wilke states that she hopes readers find this love story, framed by the provocation of race dynamics, both genuine and moving. Without question, for this reader, both of these things were fully realized.
I suspect I will read this novel yet again. Most certainly, I will watch the movie when it comes out. This is one of those novels so vivid in its descriptions, it feels like you just got done watching the movie when you turn the last page. It begs to be turned into a screenplay, and I will be more surprised than not if it isn’t picked up by one of the major studios. I certainly hope it is, anyway, because more people watch movies than read books (sadly) and Alchemy of Noise deserves the widest audience possible. Why? Because within this beautifully crafted love story are issues every American would do well to look at; to really look at. Not just from a cultural perspective, but from a deeply personal one. What this story does is take news items we read every day and make them so personal they feel as if they are happening to us. And that’s how change happens—through personal experience, one person at a time.
It’s one gifted writer who can craft a novel that brings these issues not just to our doorstep, but to a place inside our hearts.
June 11, 2020
A contemporary romance that is particularly poignant in the current climate of unrest due to the murder of George Floyd, this novel captures the time in which we live.
The advice to writers is always to write what you know. Lorraine Devon Wilke writes from the perspective of a white woman who has experienced an extended interracial relationship. The things she experienced and witnessed firsthand provided the impetus for The Alchemy of Noise.
At first, it's a sweet boy meets girl, attraction happens, a love affair begins kind of story. But as the relationship deepens, Sidonie Frame is thrown into a world where the color of one's skin determines the treatment that person gets. Things she's only heard about or seen on the news - things foreign to an attractive, successful white woman - come to ugly life when Chris, an attractive, successful black man, is targeted for no other reason than his color. First, it's a traffic stop, then it's Sidonie's troublesome neighbor calling the police on Chris for bringing home a new television. Then the worst happens. Chris is brutally beaten by police and faces charges for crimes he didn't commit.
This story kind of creeps up on you. You're going along, reading it, enjoying it, and then suddenly, you're afraid to turn the page for fear of what comes next because as a reader, you don't see color, you see the people involved. You know who they are, and you like them. You're invested in them and you're rooting for them.
This is a story for our time. It examines the issue of race in this country and the difficulties faced by interracial couples who dare to fall in love. It's heart-rending, it's gritty, and it's all too painfully true. I won't tell you how it ends. You'll have to read it to find out. And when you get to the end of this tale, I hope that you will come away, as I did, with a new appreciation for the work we all must do to combat racism wherever we find it and remember that we are all human beings worthy of love and respect, regardless of the color of our skin.
The advice to writers is always to write what you know. Lorraine Devon Wilke writes from the perspective of a white woman who has experienced an extended interracial relationship. The things she experienced and witnessed firsthand provided the impetus for The Alchemy of Noise.
At first, it's a sweet boy meets girl, attraction happens, a love affair begins kind of story. But as the relationship deepens, Sidonie Frame is thrown into a world where the color of one's skin determines the treatment that person gets. Things she's only heard about or seen on the news - things foreign to an attractive, successful white woman - come to ugly life when Chris, an attractive, successful black man, is targeted for no other reason than his color. First, it's a traffic stop, then it's Sidonie's troublesome neighbor calling the police on Chris for bringing home a new television. Then the worst happens. Chris is brutally beaten by police and faces charges for crimes he didn't commit.
This story kind of creeps up on you. You're going along, reading it, enjoying it, and then suddenly, you're afraid to turn the page for fear of what comes next because as a reader, you don't see color, you see the people involved. You know who they are, and you like them. You're invested in them and you're rooting for them.
This is a story for our time. It examines the issue of race in this country and the difficulties faced by interracial couples who dare to fall in love. It's heart-rending, it's gritty, and it's all too painfully true. I won't tell you how it ends. You'll have to read it to find out. And when you get to the end of this tale, I hope that you will come away, as I did, with a new appreciation for the work we all must do to combat racism wherever we find it and remember that we are all human beings worthy of love and respect, regardless of the color of our skin.
June 28, 2019
An entertaining while scathing commentary about race relations in America.
Sidonie Frame is the manager one of Chicago’s buzziest small concert and event venues. When her sound manager goes AWOL along with essential equipment she has her assistant bring in another company to fill in temporarily.
Chris Hawkins is owner of Sound Alchemy and immediately he and Sidonie have a connection.
Author Lorraine Devon Wilke tells the story from two points of view and establishes her protagonists as equals in regards to education, income and aspirations. The only difference, other than gender, is Chris is black and Sidonie’s white.
Temporary work becomes permanent and friendship turns to love for Chris and Sid. The last thing they think about is the colour of each other’s skin, but that’s not the case for some friends and family members.
This is upsetting for Sidonie, but not surprising and she’s prepared to deal with it. What she isn’t prepared for or capable of handling is the reality of a black man living in America.
Here’s how Wilke has her character, Sidonie, express it.
“What I didn’t know then is that by falling in love with you I would be stepping from my world into yours. Or maybe, more accurately, straddling both. I didn’t know that because I didn’t fully realize there were two worlds, two really distinct worlds with different sets of rules ...”
The Alchemy of Noise is an entertaining love story and so much more. The author’s take on inherent and systemic racism, something her characters are challenged with daily, sounds authentic and credible. In that regard, it is an important book that deserves a larger audience.
The book itself is a pleasure to read with believable dialogue, fully developed characters and exceptionally good diction, something that’s becoming increasingly rare. The plot is well-crafted and try as I might I couldn’t find one scene that didn’t develop character or advance the plot or both.
Sidonie Frame is the manager one of Chicago’s buzziest small concert and event venues. When her sound manager goes AWOL along with essential equipment she has her assistant bring in another company to fill in temporarily.
Chris Hawkins is owner of Sound Alchemy and immediately he and Sidonie have a connection.
Author Lorraine Devon Wilke tells the story from two points of view and establishes her protagonists as equals in regards to education, income and aspirations. The only difference, other than gender, is Chris is black and Sidonie’s white.
Temporary work becomes permanent and friendship turns to love for Chris and Sid. The last thing they think about is the colour of each other’s skin, but that’s not the case for some friends and family members.
This is upsetting for Sidonie, but not surprising and she’s prepared to deal with it. What she isn’t prepared for or capable of handling is the reality of a black man living in America.
Here’s how Wilke has her character, Sidonie, express it.
“What I didn’t know then is that by falling in love with you I would be stepping from my world into yours. Or maybe, more accurately, straddling both. I didn’t know that because I didn’t fully realize there were two worlds, two really distinct worlds with different sets of rules ...”
The Alchemy of Noise is an entertaining love story and so much more. The author’s take on inherent and systemic racism, something her characters are challenged with daily, sounds authentic and credible. In that regard, it is an important book that deserves a larger audience.
The book itself is a pleasure to read with believable dialogue, fully developed characters and exceptionally good diction, something that’s becoming increasingly rare. The plot is well-crafted and try as I might I couldn’t find one scene that didn’t develop character or advance the plot or both.
May 27, 2019
The Alchemy of Noise is a novel in which boy meets girl and essentially it has a love story at its heart. But it is so much more than that.
Sidonie manages a successful and popular music and events bar. Chris has his own business but steps in to help out the club when the usual sound guy lets them down. Both characters are likeable, honest, reliable and drawn to each other. But they come from very different worlds, because Sidonie is white and Chris is black. It shouldn’t matter, in fact it doesn’t to them, but in the world in which they live thinking that it isn’t going to matter is not that simple.
‘… we can’t know what we don’t experience.’
This, for me, was the crux of the tale. However open minded and empathetic you might think you are, however much you think you understand the world lived from another’s perspective, simply falling in love with someone who is good and kind is not enough. Because when something goes wrong for Chris, and it goes very wrong indeed, Sidonie is brutally awakened to the reality of their life together.
Families either close ranks, or crack, fissures starting to appear in previously strong relationships, as Sidonie finds, to her surprise, and shock, it’s not a given that everyone around her shares the same values she has about race, or the police.
The exploration of all the relationships in this novel is excellent. The characters rich and rounded, the way they react and interact absorbing.
It is very well written. It’s intelligent, educational and eye-opening, though still easy to read, the prose flowing and drawing you in. The Alchemy of Noise is an excellent novel I thoroughly enjoyed and don’t hesitate for a moment to recommend.
Sidonie manages a successful and popular music and events bar. Chris has his own business but steps in to help out the club when the usual sound guy lets them down. Both characters are likeable, honest, reliable and drawn to each other. But they come from very different worlds, because Sidonie is white and Chris is black. It shouldn’t matter, in fact it doesn’t to them, but in the world in which they live thinking that it isn’t going to matter is not that simple.
‘… we can’t know what we don’t experience.’
This, for me, was the crux of the tale. However open minded and empathetic you might think you are, however much you think you understand the world lived from another’s perspective, simply falling in love with someone who is good and kind is not enough. Because when something goes wrong for Chris, and it goes very wrong indeed, Sidonie is brutally awakened to the reality of their life together.
Families either close ranks, or crack, fissures starting to appear in previously strong relationships, as Sidonie finds, to her surprise, and shock, it’s not a given that everyone around her shares the same values she has about race, or the police.
The exploration of all the relationships in this novel is excellent. The characters rich and rounded, the way they react and interact absorbing.
It is very well written. It’s intelligent, educational and eye-opening, though still easy to read, the prose flowing and drawing you in. The Alchemy of Noise is an excellent novel I thoroughly enjoyed and don’t hesitate for a moment to recommend.
April 9, 2019
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Thank you @booksparks for setting me up on a blind date with The Alchemy of Noise!
I’m so glad that #booksparks selected me to participate in their Spring campaign, because it brought this beautiful book to me! To be honest, I had some concerns when I read this book’s synopsis, because I always question when a white person is writing the perspective of a Black person, or other POC, especially when the topic of the book is race, but those concerns were fully addressed, at least for me personally, in Lorraine Devon Wilke’s Author’s Note. Wolfe writes about her own experiences that framed this book, her internal dialogue as she considered wether this was her story to write, and her ultimate reasoning behind moving forward.
The Alchemy of Noise is really beautiful in its thorough, and infuriating look at both the aggressions, micro and otherwise, that Black men and women have thrust upon them on a daily basis, and the burnout that causes. In this book, we look at this experience through the eyes of sound engineer Chris, a Black man forced to deal with this his whole life, and Sidonie, a white suburban woman whose eyes are opened to it when she starts dating Chris.
The dialogues opened up here are important, uncomfortable, and worthwhile, at least from my own suburban white lady perspective. I’m looking forward to hearing the thoughts of other reviewers on this one, specifically those who experience this firsthand. This would be a wonderful book for book club discussion!
Thank you @booksparks for setting me up on a blind date with The Alchemy of Noise!
I’m so glad that #booksparks selected me to participate in their Spring campaign, because it brought this beautiful book to me! To be honest, I had some concerns when I read this book’s synopsis, because I always question when a white person is writing the perspective of a Black person, or other POC, especially when the topic of the book is race, but those concerns were fully addressed, at least for me personally, in Lorraine Devon Wilke’s Author’s Note. Wolfe writes about her own experiences that framed this book, her internal dialogue as she considered wether this was her story to write, and her ultimate reasoning behind moving forward.
The Alchemy of Noise is really beautiful in its thorough, and infuriating look at both the aggressions, micro and otherwise, that Black men and women have thrust upon them on a daily basis, and the burnout that causes. In this book, we look at this experience through the eyes of sound engineer Chris, a Black man forced to deal with this his whole life, and Sidonie, a white suburban woman whose eyes are opened to it when she starts dating Chris.
The dialogues opened up here are important, uncomfortable, and worthwhile, at least from my own suburban white lady perspective. I’m looking forward to hearing the thoughts of other reviewers on this one, specifically those who experience this firsthand. This would be a wonderful book for book club discussion!
April 13, 2019
I received this book as part of the Spring Book Tour Campaign with Booksparks that I was partnered with and I am very happy to have been a part of this because I probably would have never thought to pick up this book & read it but I did and it was great!! It was a very touching story and it really makes you think about how different whites and blacks are still treated till this day even if it is now 2019! I also loved that this book had short chapters which always motivates me to keep reading on! Great book and I def recommend u go pick it up and give it a shot!
May 2, 2019
This story gripped me and held me, beyond the end. The characters, the setting and the dialogue leapt off the page and I felt like I was watching a movie in my head. The range of emotions that play out in the story...love, fear, frustration...kept me turning the pages and unable to put the book down. I have a feeling we'll be seeing The Alchemy of Noise on the big screen before long. It's a story that begs to be told on film, too.
August 20, 2019
We once lived in Champaign Illinois, where the University of Illinois’ team mascot, Chief Illiniwek, embraced almost every type of cultural stereotyping, from his eagle-feathered war bonnet to his frenzied war dance. Growing calls for The Chief to be retired were opposed—loudly and backed up with considerable donations—by alumni, locals, and even students. My neighbors told me they honestly believed the mascot was “honoring” Native Americans, and couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. Despite the complaints of Native Americans including descendents of the Illini tribes, the mascot continued his war dance for almost a century before finally being retired in 2007. Of the 35 men and one woman who served as the mascot, not one was a Native American.
"Cultural appropriation, at times also phrased cultural misappropriation, is the adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures."—Wikipedia
In Lorraine Devon Wilke’s troubling and stunningly well-written new book, The Alchemy of Noise, cultural appropriation is the elephant in the room. On the surface, this is a love story between two educated, attractive, and articulate people. Sidonie is manager of an upscale club, The Church. Chris is a sound engineer, owner of his own company, Sound Alchemy. Their tastes and careers overlap, they are sophisticated, successful, and they come from different races.
The alchemy of the title—and the name of Chris’ company—refers to the ancient philosophy of refining materials, purifying them, often turning base metals into precious ones. In this case the alchemy refers to noise, and to the power to transform that noise into beautiful sound. But can Sidonie and Chris create and sustain the alchemy to transform all the noise around them into their own beautiful music?
In this narrative, white middle-class Sidonie sees no reason why she shouldn’t fall in love with black entrepreneur Chris. As she tells him, “I’ve never had to think much about it before; race didn’t affect me.” But she has to think about it when being with Chris means experiencing the endless stream of casual and calculated discrimination and even abuse, the constant questions about whether it’s safe or smart or worth the trouble to do something as simple as walk down a street in your own neighborhood.
Sidonie’s shock and fury are new to her. But that doesn’t prepare her for the generic, ingrained contempt displayed by those she thought she knew—close friends, colleagues, family. Even as Sidonie and Chris painfully navigate these new and dangerous shoals, Chris is arrested, beaten, and accused of raping a child. Sidonie rejects and fights against the casual willingness of police and officials to ignore details like fabricated ‘proof’ or unabashed lies.
But as time passes, the damage is done to both of them and to their fragile new relationship. Chris’ sister Vanessa accuses Sidonie of leading Chris to betray his race. He doubts his own ability to keep fighting. And in a moment when all she’s heard seems to support the unthinkable possibility that there is truth in the accusations, Sidonie’s own love and faith falter.
There are supporting characters who play important roles in the story and in Chris and Sidonie’s relationship. First, there are the mothers. Chris’ wise and well-educated mother Delores—whose unwavering belief in her family holds them together in their darkest hours—contrasts with Sidonie’s sheltered and ultimately weak mother Marian, who runs at the first sign that her daughter needs her support.
Also set up as a contrast are the two sisters. Chris’ sister Vanessa is a force of nature, powered by her volcanic fury at the way the world works. Her inability to step away from this destructive anger has destroyed her marriage and led her to accuse Chris of betraying his race. Sidonie’s sister Karen is immediately warm and supportive of the new relationship. Her prosperous lifestyle as a partner at a ‘prestigious downtown firm’ was made possible when she left her early criminal defense career, something Vanessa would undoubtedly see as selling out.
Another influential minor character is Chicago itself. Sidonie comes from the homogenized northern suburb of Palatine. “Palatine exuded an insistently beige, generic curb appeal.” Chris’ family home is in that liberal bastion of the intellectual, Hyde Park, home to the University of Chicago. “With its unusually robust campus police force, and wealthy, prestigious demographic, Hyde Park was a kind of island in the midst of encircling urban grit.” Palatine and Hyde Park are separated, as with most of Chicago, by the Dan Ryan Expressway, the dividing line between white and non-white neighborhoods. In between is the city itself, with its horrific heat, sneaky pretend-spring days, and spectacular skyline. “Making their way past Wrigley Field, which luckily, was dark tonight, the view was quintessential Chicago: lights, color, the palpable sense of energy.”
Chicago is also a dark force, the city where a person of color has to calculate every move, ignore every casual insult, cope with every suspicion and danger waiting just because of skin color. Part of this is Chicago’s police force, here depicted as both vicious, bigoted old-school bullies and nice guys like the surprisingly diffident Officer Mike who rescues Sidonie from being arrested, but also tries to justify his fellow officers.
[Quote:] "Look, I like you, I like Chris, but I gotta defend my department too, because I don’t think you get the full picture. I know lots of cops who come to the force completely unbiased, totally unprejudiced; ready to treat everyone on equal terms. But when you’re a cop in Chicago, you deal with black crime on a regular basis, day in and day out. It’s hard and it’s ugly and it can change you; it can make you a racist." [End Quote]
Like Sidonie, I’ve never lived in Chris’ world so I can’t say how accurately it’s portrayed. I have relatives who served on the Chicago police force, good people who are loving family members. Would they see themselves in the police depicted here? Would they recognize their colleagues?
Ultimately, this is a love story. But is it one the author has the right to tell? As she explains in her Notes, she was in a similar mixed race relationship for years. The emotions she describes are the ones she learned and lived. The writing of The Alchemy of Noise is hauntingly beautiful, shocking, and compelling. I feel like I know so many of the characters, that they are the family and friends and fellow students I knew in Chicago. And yet I don’t know them at all, can’t believe they would react as the characters did here. But, as Sidonie points out, I’ve read the papers, listened to the news, heard the casually racist and discriminatory remarks. And even with a love as big as Chris and Sidonie’s, I don’t know how you get past that. Maybe reading this stunningly well written book is a good way to start.
"Cultural appropriation, at times also phrased cultural misappropriation, is the adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures."—Wikipedia
In Lorraine Devon Wilke’s troubling and stunningly well-written new book, The Alchemy of Noise, cultural appropriation is the elephant in the room. On the surface, this is a love story between two educated, attractive, and articulate people. Sidonie is manager of an upscale club, The Church. Chris is a sound engineer, owner of his own company, Sound Alchemy. Their tastes and careers overlap, they are sophisticated, successful, and they come from different races.
The alchemy of the title—and the name of Chris’ company—refers to the ancient philosophy of refining materials, purifying them, often turning base metals into precious ones. In this case the alchemy refers to noise, and to the power to transform that noise into beautiful sound. But can Sidonie and Chris create and sustain the alchemy to transform all the noise around them into their own beautiful music?
In this narrative, white middle-class Sidonie sees no reason why she shouldn’t fall in love with black entrepreneur Chris. As she tells him, “I’ve never had to think much about it before; race didn’t affect me.” But she has to think about it when being with Chris means experiencing the endless stream of casual and calculated discrimination and even abuse, the constant questions about whether it’s safe or smart or worth the trouble to do something as simple as walk down a street in your own neighborhood.
Sidonie’s shock and fury are new to her. But that doesn’t prepare her for the generic, ingrained contempt displayed by those she thought she knew—close friends, colleagues, family. Even as Sidonie and Chris painfully navigate these new and dangerous shoals, Chris is arrested, beaten, and accused of raping a child. Sidonie rejects and fights against the casual willingness of police and officials to ignore details like fabricated ‘proof’ or unabashed lies.
But as time passes, the damage is done to both of them and to their fragile new relationship. Chris’ sister Vanessa accuses Sidonie of leading Chris to betray his race. He doubts his own ability to keep fighting. And in a moment when all she’s heard seems to support the unthinkable possibility that there is truth in the accusations, Sidonie’s own love and faith falter.
There are supporting characters who play important roles in the story and in Chris and Sidonie’s relationship. First, there are the mothers. Chris’ wise and well-educated mother Delores—whose unwavering belief in her family holds them together in their darkest hours—contrasts with Sidonie’s sheltered and ultimately weak mother Marian, who runs at the first sign that her daughter needs her support.
Also set up as a contrast are the two sisters. Chris’ sister Vanessa is a force of nature, powered by her volcanic fury at the way the world works. Her inability to step away from this destructive anger has destroyed her marriage and led her to accuse Chris of betraying his race. Sidonie’s sister Karen is immediately warm and supportive of the new relationship. Her prosperous lifestyle as a partner at a ‘prestigious downtown firm’ was made possible when she left her early criminal defense career, something Vanessa would undoubtedly see as selling out.
Another influential minor character is Chicago itself. Sidonie comes from the homogenized northern suburb of Palatine. “Palatine exuded an insistently beige, generic curb appeal.” Chris’ family home is in that liberal bastion of the intellectual, Hyde Park, home to the University of Chicago. “With its unusually robust campus police force, and wealthy, prestigious demographic, Hyde Park was a kind of island in the midst of encircling urban grit.” Palatine and Hyde Park are separated, as with most of Chicago, by the Dan Ryan Expressway, the dividing line between white and non-white neighborhoods. In between is the city itself, with its horrific heat, sneaky pretend-spring days, and spectacular skyline. “Making their way past Wrigley Field, which luckily, was dark tonight, the view was quintessential Chicago: lights, color, the palpable sense of energy.”
Chicago is also a dark force, the city where a person of color has to calculate every move, ignore every casual insult, cope with every suspicion and danger waiting just because of skin color. Part of this is Chicago’s police force, here depicted as both vicious, bigoted old-school bullies and nice guys like the surprisingly diffident Officer Mike who rescues Sidonie from being arrested, but also tries to justify his fellow officers.
[Quote:] "Look, I like you, I like Chris, but I gotta defend my department too, because I don’t think you get the full picture. I know lots of cops who come to the force completely unbiased, totally unprejudiced; ready to treat everyone on equal terms. But when you’re a cop in Chicago, you deal with black crime on a regular basis, day in and day out. It’s hard and it’s ugly and it can change you; it can make you a racist." [End Quote]
Like Sidonie, I’ve never lived in Chris’ world so I can’t say how accurately it’s portrayed. I have relatives who served on the Chicago police force, good people who are loving family members. Would they see themselves in the police depicted here? Would they recognize their colleagues?
Ultimately, this is a love story. But is it one the author has the right to tell? As she explains in her Notes, she was in a similar mixed race relationship for years. The emotions she describes are the ones she learned and lived. The writing of The Alchemy of Noise is hauntingly beautiful, shocking, and compelling. I feel like I know so many of the characters, that they are the family and friends and fellow students I knew in Chicago. And yet I don’t know them at all, can’t believe they would react as the characters did here. But, as Sidonie points out, I’ve read the papers, listened to the news, heard the casually racist and discriminatory remarks. And even with a love as big as Chris and Sidonie’s, I don’t know how you get past that. Maybe reading this stunningly well written book is a good way to start.
April 18, 2022
With courage and compassion, Lorraine Devon Wilke crafted a moving contemporary interracial love story, set in Chicago, that balances the harsh realities of bigotry and prejudice with the enduring power of love. Everything about this novel feels authentic. The initial attraction and slowly evolving relationship between Sidonie, a white, suburban-raised woman who manages a successful event venue, and Chris, a black sound engineer from the south side of Chicago; their family and friends diverse reactions to their budding relationship; and the pulsing beat of music as a backdrop to the ever-threatening, lurking-in-the-shadows danger of prejudice and police-profiling. Wilke deftly conveys Sidonie’s gradual awareness and understanding of her own life of privilege, as she and Chris deal with a frightening crisis that could ruin both of their lives. Whether their love is strong enough to survive is at the heart of this novel. A timely novel, beautifully written, deeply insightful and honest. A must read.
May 3, 2019
I have read a couple of Lorraine Devon Wilke’s books and found each one to be unique. The Alchemy of Noise was not what I expected. With each page I found myself becoming more and more intrigued. Then I had to step back for a minute and see the much larger picture she was painting with her words. Emotionally wrenching, The Alchemy of Noise takes relationships one step further than most bringing in racism. The fine line Wilke’s walks in this book is amazing – telling her story through fiction yet still relaying the heart wrenching truth of her relationship.
I read in fascination seeing a lot of my family and self in the comments, actions and such leaving me wondering whether I was prepared to help raise my two grandsons of mixed race. This book brought home the truths and solidified my concerns for my grandsons in a world where tolerance is non-existent.
Well written and developed, Wilke has communicated the fears, doubts and being human in a world where intolerance of difference is rampant, where being humane is not extended to those different.
This is not a light book, it is one that will stick with you for weeks if not longer. I finished this book about three weeks ago and just now sat down to write the review. Having come from a family from the deepest part of Indiana where racism runs unchecked and fueled by the past, I still feel the impact of this story.
I read in fascination seeing a lot of my family and self in the comments, actions and such leaving me wondering whether I was prepared to help raise my two grandsons of mixed race. This book brought home the truths and solidified my concerns for my grandsons in a world where tolerance is non-existent.
Well written and developed, Wilke has communicated the fears, doubts and being human in a world where intolerance of difference is rampant, where being humane is not extended to those different.
This is not a light book, it is one that will stick with you for weeks if not longer. I finished this book about three weeks ago and just now sat down to write the review. Having come from a family from the deepest part of Indiana where racism runs unchecked and fueled by the past, I still feel the impact of this story.
April 9, 2019
I was taken aback by how much I loved this book and was invested in Sidonie and Chris’ story. Two people who had given up on finding love, meet through happenstance and are inexplicably drawn to each other?! Sign me up! But this is more than your standard love story because although Sidonie and Chris fall madly in love, the challenges they begin to face as a mixed race couple threaten to pull them apart.
This book highlights some all too common realities that exist in our culture today. The author takes you inside their relationship and gives you and intimate view of their expririence. I felt the joy, heartache, anxiety, and pain right along with them. I can guarantee their story will stick with you long after you turn the last page, I know I can’t stop thinking about.
The is an important and timely read so I HIGHLY HIGHLY encourage you to add this to your TBR.
This book highlights some all too common realities that exist in our culture today. The author takes you inside their relationship and gives you and intimate view of their expririence. I felt the joy, heartache, anxiety, and pain right along with them. I can guarantee their story will stick with you long after you turn the last page, I know I can’t stop thinking about.
The is an important and timely read so I HIGHLY HIGHLY encourage you to add this to your TBR.
May 15, 2019
I've been a fan of Lorraine Devon Wilke's ever since I read After The Sucker Punch. This novel impressed me even more. In The Alchemy of Noise, the author tackles the issue of race in America. Two people--one black, the other white--fall in love, a love that is beautifully and sensitively portrayed. It's also honestly depicted. How work, family and society's views affect their interracial relationship is a difficult subject and yet Wilke does a masterful job in showing us what's at stake.
How various people react to Sidonie and Chris's relationship is what powers this story. To write about a subject matter that can be so divisive takes courage and exceptional skill. The author made me feel a little of what it's like to be black in America and that was horrifying. A highly recommended read, both for the love story and for understanding the impact of racism on innocent lives.
How various people react to Sidonie and Chris's relationship is what powers this story. To write about a subject matter that can be so divisive takes courage and exceptional skill. The author made me feel a little of what it's like to be black in America and that was horrifying. A highly recommended read, both for the love story and for understanding the impact of racism on innocent lives.
April 28, 2019
Full disclosure: I finished this book in one day. Partially because I had the day off with zero plans, and partially because it was so compelling I couldn’t stop reading.
The Alchemy of Noise tackles a lot of serious (and timely, relevant) racial issues. It doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable discussions between characters and it forces some of the characters (and most likely a lot of the readers) to examine their own prejudice and privilege.
I’ll admit, I was a little uncomfortable reading about the constant racism that black people face when this book was written by a white woman. However, Wilke’s note at the end of the book answers a lot of questions and explains why she feels qualified to tell this particular story.
The Alchemy of Noise tackles a lot of serious (and timely, relevant) racial issues. It doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable discussions between characters and it forces some of the characters (and most likely a lot of the readers) to examine their own prejudice and privilege.
I’ll admit, I was a little uncomfortable reading about the constant racism that black people face when this book was written by a white woman. However, Wilke’s note at the end of the book answers a lot of questions and explains why she feels qualified to tell this particular story.
May 13, 2019
This is a story about a love affair, about family and friendship and the inescapable interaction between them all. It’s also about discrimination and prejudice and their corrosive effects on those same relationships. It’s a challenging tale at times, uncomfortable and thought-provoking, but it’s surprisingly warm too and well-paced, and the different threads are deftly interwoven. It drew me on.
Fluently and sensitively written, there are flashes of humour and crisp, believable dialogue. The characters are so well drawn and empathetically described that I quickly became invested in them and had to know how their stories would play out. It felt important that I should.
An utterly compelling narrative which will linger long in my mind. I would thoroughly recommend it.
Fluently and sensitively written, there are flashes of humour and crisp, believable dialogue. The characters are so well drawn and empathetically described that I quickly became invested in them and had to know how their stories would play out. It felt important that I should.
An utterly compelling narrative which will linger long in my mind. I would thoroughly recommend it.
December 14, 2019
Sidonie Frame and Chris Hawkins. These are names I will not soon forget. In “The Alchemy of Noise," author Lorraine Devon Wilke skillfully, astutely—and often painfully—explores love and racism through the eyes and experiences of this interracial couple. What should be easy, isn’t. What should be light, far too often turns dark. What should be simple, becomes ridiculously and distressingly complex. Devon Wilke has captured the realities of what it means to be a black man in our country and those of the white woman who loves him. The story is timely. Unfortunately, still timely. The author brings us deep into the middle of this couple’s truth and reality, making it impossible to look away. And it is essential for us to look and, hopefully, learn. Highly recommended.
September 29, 2019
Skillfully told through the eyes of an interracial couple in love, the author portrays the universal challenges of learning what is important about one's beloved while everyday routines are magnified by the tick tick of institutional racism and the all too authentic threat to their safety. The trade-offs to be negotiated are so unjust, but so true to life. Unforgettable and believable. The power of this story was enhanced by elegant writing which captures the grit and beauty of Chicago. A bonus was the depiction of the strength or dysfunction of a nuclear family which supports or weakens its members.
July 25, 2021
I don't know how I feel about the ending. **Spoiler Alert** Would you want to be with a woman who thought you were capable of raping a 13-year old? Do you buy the explanation in the letter that she gave Chris? I don't think she would ever be able to relate to him and what it is like to live in the States as a black person. If they have kids, what kind of parent would she be as her kids will have to deal with the same stuff their father does. I think the book would have been better if they never got back together. She moves on to open her restaurant and he continues being successful as a businessman.
June 16, 2019
This story is so achingly real, so beautifully written, the characters so rich and complete, the circumstances so compelling, I had to take my time reading it cover to cover. Several times I had to put it down, needing time to absorb what I just read till I was ready to find out what happens next. But lI was never able to guess - everything made sense and nothing was predictable. This author uses words like paint on a brush to create vivid pictures of places, emotions, relationships. I loved her other novels; this one is outstanding, the best yet.
August 21, 2019
The Alchemy of Noise is an authentic and believable love story that exposes all that’s STILL not working with our culture and makes us see it, feel it, hear it. It was easy to put myself into this environment, enjoying the main characters and their interactions (we all know people like Sidonie and Chris) despite the hurdles. I got mad, exasperated – yes uncomfortable - but it’s a book we should all read. Lorraine’s unique writing style keeps it optimistic even while being evocative.
October 21, 2019
What attracted me to this book was the title The Alchemy of Noise. Sidonie Frame is a white upper class woman in Chicago that works for a club venue. When the sound man quits , enters African American Chris Hawkins who owns his own sound system . He and Sidonie fall in love and must overcome prejudice and racial profiling. Wilke a writer from the Huffington Post has a wonderful way with words and really gives some insight to Chicago.
October 28, 2019
Trust and believe ...this book will.makw a lot of people uncomfortable.The way that is deals with the dewply-submerged undercurrent of racism built into America is not going to be most people's cup of tea.
I enjoyed it because it avoided preachiness and actually hit the marks that delineate the fact of life for many people of color not just in America but throughout the "Western world".
Read at your own peril...
Can you "handle the truth"?
I enjoyed it because it avoided preachiness and actually hit the marks that delineate the fact of life for many people of color not just in America but throughout the "Western world".
Read at your own peril...
Can you "handle the truth"?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews