The Sound of One Hand Clapping

by Fay Doxford

Stephen Markham is a phenomenal guitarist. Stephen Markham is a handsome rock superstar. Stephen Markham is miserable. Haunted by his first love, and trapped in an increasingly difficult marriage with the vivacious yet demanding Antonia, Stephen finds solace in playing the electric guitar as the frontman of the world famous rock band, Sid's Six. But all that suddenly changes when he is involved in a violent, exhaustion-induced car accident. How can Stephen come to terms with what has happened? How will his family, friends and band members cope with the devastating effects of it? As Stephen reaches his lowest point, can unexpectedly attaining the thing he has yearned for show him that the brilliant career he has built his life upon is not all he is?

716 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2006

Reviews

[Alexandra Juul · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book - I couldn't put it down! The writing is excellent, very assured, I couldn't believe this is a first novel! It's a very good story, it really draws you in, and the music industry is so well described that I can't help wondering if the author has been involved in it. The characters are very well written, complex, three dimensional people. Some I liked, some I didn't, but even with those I didn't like, I could understand their actions. I didn't really like Stephen's soul mate Lynn (also known as Cherry) and couldn't see what he saw in her, but even so, I loved the way the book ended, and Stephen himself was a fantastic character, really well observed. I think my favourite character is Stephen's best friend, the upper class Dominic. All in all, a great read - exciting, amusing, moving, very interesting and definitely a page turner! Highly recommended!