Duet David Hill

DUET David Hill, Mallinson Rendel, 199 pages, paperback, NZ$17
ISBN 978-1-877423-06-2

“My whole body quivered with the noise…The sound blazed and thundered.”

A keen guitarist, whose interests are moving from classical to blues, Kallum is stunned by his first experience of orchestral music in David Hill’s Duet. Coaxed into the Youth Orchestra to play a Manuel Castella flute and guitar duet, Kallum soon becomes enraptured by the power of music. He also finds himself falling in love with Paige the fluteplayer. Kallum is an engaging narrator and the story of the young lovers’ growing intimacy and the orchestra’s preparation for their performance are neatly intertwined.

When Paige becomes pregnant it is a shock and the pair have to face up to the consequences. David Hill has created a believable group of young people and Duet is an impressive account of people gaining maturity and sharing in a common purpose. The music is great too.

Trevor Agnew

This review first appeared in The Press, Christchurch NZ, on 12th January 2008.