How The Mistakes Were Made: A Novel by Tyler McMahon

Book Description
Laura Loss came of age in the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s. The jailbait bass player in her brother Anthony’s band, she grew up traveling the country, playing her heart out in a tight network of show venues to crowds soaked in blood and sweat. The band became notorious, the stars of a shadow music industry. But when Laura was 18, it all fell apart. Anthony’s own fans destroyed him, something which Laura never forgot.

Ten years later, Laura finds her true fame with the formation of The Mistakes, a gifted rock band that bursts out of ‘90s Seattle to god-like celebrity. When she discovered Nathan and Sean, the two flannel-clad misfits who, along with her, composed the band, she instantly understood that Sean’s synesthesia—a blending of the senses that allows him to “see” the music— infused his playing with an edge that would take them to the top. And it did. But it, along with his love for Laura, would also be their downfall.

At the moment of their greatest fame, the volatile bonds between the three explode in a mushroom cloud of betrayal, deceit, and untimely endings. The world blames Laura for destroying its rock heroes. Hated by the fans she’s spent her life serving, she finally tells her side of the story, the “true” story, of the rise and fall of The Mistakes.

My thoughts
The novel is the story of the rise and ultimate demise of the fictional grunge band called the Mistakes. We see it through the eyes of Laura Loss, who in the 80’s was in a successful band in with her brother. Now in the 90’s, she is a barrister in a coffee shop and meet two best friends who convince her to start a new band.

This is more than a story about the underground music scene and the struggle to make it big time. Tyler McMahon has captured the essence of the music scene and the grittiness of what life is like as a struggling musician. He makes the reader feel Laura’s pain as the story bounces back from the 80’s to the 90’s and we learn what happened with her brother and his band and the turmoil that becomes her life with the new band.

This book was more than about music; it’s about love, commitment, family, sacrifice and more. I found it to be truly emotional and extraordinary debut.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher through librarything.com. I received no compensation for my thoughts.