At 39, Andi Thompson is facing a cross-roads in her life. Divorced for a year and still bitter about her ex’s infidelity, her daughter is about to go to college and Andi will be free to do … what? She currently teaches and carries out occasional assignments for a local weekly newspaper. She’d love to do more on that front, but does she have the confidence and the skills?
Derek Norton is a rock star whose internationally famous band, The Assassins (great name!) has been hitting the top slots for over twenty years. But now Derek, grateful for what he has, is beginning to wonder if this is all there is. Or does God have new plans for him? To add to his restlessness, the audiences aren’t growing and the band’s producer is keen to get them back on top – or let them go. A glowing article in the industry’s biggest music magazine might be just the thing, the producer decides. Except that at the last moment the journalist assigned to spend the upcoming tour with the band can’t go.
Find Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For here
Which is how Andi unexpectedly finds herself on the tour bus with The Assassins. She’s thrilled (she’s been a fan forever), and terrified of messing it up. And while most are welcoming, it quickly becomes apparent that Derek Norton doesn’t want her there. At least, not initially.
In Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Paula Peckham gives us living, breathing characters who are very human in their different ways, and with pasts some have dealt with – or are still dealing with – better than others. She leads us easily through the complexities of relationships which are decades old while building the new relationship story of Derek and Andi, and, as importantly, of Andi’s own journey to believing in herself.
As the bus travels through State after State, Andi cautiously learns what it means to open her heart again – only to then have it brutally broken. In her time of need, she must draw on the same resilience she has come to admire in the various band members’ own stories.
Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For is a beautifully told love story, a fun frolic in the inner workings of bands on tour, and a poignant reminder of what forgiveness is. A highly recommended read.
More reviews here and my monthly round up of what I’ve read here.