The Singer Sisters

July 15, 2024
Seltzer’s lively if soapy debut follows a Jewish mother and daughter joined by their careers in popular music. The parallel narrative begins in the mid-1960s, when Judie Zingerman and her sister, Sylvia, are a popular folk-rock duo known as the Singer Sisters. The second story line concerns Judie’s daughter, Emma Cantor, an up-and-coming alt-rocker in the mid-1990s who’s trying to land her first record deal. Headstrong Emma has a conflicted relationship with Judie, which only becomes more complicated when a secret from Judie’s past comes to light and threatens to scuttle Emma’s career. The details are revealed later; mainly, the plot functions as a means for Seltzer to explore the importance of songwriting to her characters, as Emma’s discovery of Judie’s never performed songs helps her understand the choices Judie made as a younger woman. Judie has an alluring theory of songwriting: “I prefer when won’t let you in at first, and you have to knock on the door. But once you go inside, the house is endless.” Throughout, readers are treated to numerous examples of Judie’s and Emma’s perceptive insights on the business (“Becoming a bona fide rock star required.... The look, the presence and yes, the songs”), which almost make up for the schematic plot. Music lovers ought to take note. Agent: Susanna Einstein, Einstein Literary.

January 1, 2025

Seltzer's debut follows two generations of Jewish musicians--alt-rocker Emma in the 1990s, and her folk-singer mother, Judie, in the 1960s. No one knows why Judie stopped writing songs at the height of her successful career, or why she distanced herself from her daughter and later steered her away from music. Whatever the reasons, Emma now has a hole in her heart where her mother's love should have been. The novel traverses two time periods, focusing on Emma and Judie as well as Sylvia, Judie's sister and bandmate, and Rose, an au pair. As the characters' secrets are revealed, Seltzer also explores mental health, adoption, abortion rights, LGBTQIA+ and women's identities, and trauma. Listeners will appreciate the jaunty folk music that opens and closes the audiobook, but they may be disappointed that the lyrics within the text are spoken, not sung.Narrator Barrie Kreinik offers a natural-sounding Dublin accent for Rose and provides a fitting portrait of Judie, whose mature, folk-y vibes ring true. Helen Laser portrays Emma in a sarcastic low tone. Stephanie N�meth-Parker as Sylvia is a bright and more relaxed contrast to Judie's character. VERDICT For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six and intergenerational family stories.--Taylor Skorski

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