The Lost Chord

The Lost Chord is a book that weaves mysticism with music to give us a book told from the viewpoints of two generations, the ancestors in mediaeval Germany and their modern descendants in current-day Montreal. What ties them together is the effect that playing four specific chords in a sequence has on people. On hearing the notes, people are transported to another place, perhaps as close to the Biblical “Heaven” as Ian Thomas dares to get. They do return to their corporeal husks after a period of time has elapsed, but unfortunately in the interim, their bodies are deemed dead. In modern times, it’s a medical puzzle, but in the Dark Ages, they are judged possessed by the devil and the bodies are burnt.

The book is fairly predictable in some parts, with the juxtaposition of the ageing rock musician and the professor of religious studies. Contrast that with the Germans who leave the Old World for the New, only to find out that life is not as rosy as it seems. All the escapades have a heavy moralistic bias to them, with the end result that the book feels a little like a collection of parables at times. Pick this one up for a quick read, without too many expectations.

ISBN: 978-1-897453-09-4