Review: A Song For Julia by Charles Sheehan-Miles

 A Song For Julia

By: Charles Sheehan-Miles

Pub. Date: December 5, 2012

Publisher: Cincinnatus Press

Pages: 374

Source: ebook from author through AToMR book tours

Everyone should have something to rebel against.

Crank Wilson left his South Boston home at sixteen to start a punk band and burn out his rage at the world. Six years later, he’s still at odds with his father, a Boston cop, and doesn’t ever speak to his mother. The only relationship that really matters is with his younger brother, but watching out for Sean can be a full-time job. The one thing Crank wants in life is to be left the hell alone to write his music and drive his band to success.

Julia Thompson left a secret behind in Beijing that exploded into scandal in Washington, DC, threatening her father's career and dominating her family's life. Now, in her senior year at Harvard, she's haunted by a voice from her past and refuses to ever lose control of her emotions again, especially when it comes to a guy.

When Julia and Crank meet at an anti-war protest in Washington in the fall of 2002, the connection between them is so powerful it threatens to tear everything apart.

 A Song For Julia is very much a character driven novel. Crank and Julia are from two completely different words. Julia is at Harvard whose father is a retired ambassador, while Crank is a high school drop out, whose mom left five years, and dad is a South Boston cop. Their lives could not be more different, and when they meet at a war protest in Washington D.C., there is definitely an attraction between the two, and both of them know that they won't ever see each other again after this day.

Turns out when they are back home in Boston, Julia hits his car after he finished his performance at a local bar. The two of them have a very interesting connection. You can see the attraction there, but Crank is so hot and cold with her, that it definitely wasn't immediate love.

My favorite parts was how well Julia connected with Crank's younger brother, Sean, who has Asperger's Syndrome. You don't see many authors tackling characters with these sort of neurological diseases, but Sheehan-Miles wrote an honest portrayal of someone living with Asperger's.

Julia was sort of one dimensional for me. She had a very sad back story that she kept hinting at throughout the story, and when she finally opened up it was hard to not feel for her. She was alone when she needed people the most, and it makes it very hard to trust. But other then that, I didn't really care about her. Same went for Crank. He left home at 16 because he blames himself for his mom leaving, and he doesn't get along with his dad. I had this image that his father was an abusive alcoholic, but that is not the case at all. He is a wonderful father who just wants the best for his son, and I think Crank was very dramatic and hurtful to his father. I did love how protective and sweet Crank was with his brother though.

Overall, I did enjoy A Song For Julia, but because it was so character driven, for about 100 pages in the middle, I was very bored. Nothing was really happening, but then eventually it picked back up.  It is an emotional read, and I loved watching the characters heal and move on from their pain.

I am excited to read Sheehan-Miles other books!