Luce and Rosemary, not to mention an intriguing cast of secondary players, are figures that will stay with us for a long time. Pinsker never lets the novel turn into an easy parable of mutual redemption. The technological extrapolation of Pinsker’s SF may be restrained (and thus all the more credible), but the novel does converse with a number of earlier traditions. This is partly because of her wide-ranging and finely textured portrait of a diminished America – we get to see a fair amount of geography – and partly it’s due to her remarkable skill at describing the nuances of musical performance. The tensions between corporate ambition, government repression, and artistic freedom hardly amount to a new theme, of course, but Pinsker makes the issues seem more urgent and more familiar than usual. reads like an intriguing combination of road novel, apocalyptic near-future SF, and – most importantly – character study that explores the compromises faced both by those who see the value in corporatized entertainment (more people get to enjoy it) and those who want to preserve the spontaneity and energy of live performances. Relevant, haunting, and inspiring, this is one of the best books of 2019.

Sarah Pinsker’s A Song for a New Day makes it seem effortless-but in focusing on the taxing nature of the creative process under duress, she also reminds the reader of how difficult 'effortless' can be. Its a cliche to say a novel is about the importance of human connection, but A Song for a New Day really IS about the importance of human connection, and both. There aren’t many books that can accurately convey the dynamics of a local DIY music scene and tap into a decades-long tradition of speculative fiction. Pinsker’s novel feels very relevant in 2019, she’s also grappling with some classically science fictional themes. There’s something very zeitgeist-y about what Pinsker does here. It’s a fascinating paradox: elements of this world are utterly terrifying, but Pinsker balances that neatly with elements to show its appeal. To call this novel completely dystopian wouldn’t be entirely accurate, though: there’s a passing reference to states having established a basic income, for instance. By setting this novel in a society where DIY can literally be against the law, Pinsker ups the suspense considerably.

A song for a new day by sarah pinsker