AcaPolitics

I had first heard about this novel from Sarah Twilley, aca-aficionado. I probably heard about it but just hadn't had the time to really sit down and read it in its early stages when it was published on the blog, and so it stayed forever bookmarked on my browser. Of course, when I found out that an actual hard copy of the novel was going to be released, I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy. But, as fate would have it, I would have the opportunity to read the novel and review it, getting my hands on a copy days before the release date.

Of course, school decided to get in the way between me and my aca-indulgence, but I was able to read through the bulk of the novel on the release date. I just couldn't put the book down; it was THAT good.

Before you keep reading, yes, this review is my own personal review, and not something that will be published either on the Neon Tommy or on SNC Quarter Notes, though I will be sure to post those links as soon as they're up. And now back to the review.

Having been a spectator of the aca-world for about four years, I had always been entranced by the performance aspect of a cappella groups, as most are. I focused mainly on the art of a cappella music and performance, but never had I heard about anything that goes on behind the scenes. Even now, as I am a member of a co-ed Christian a cappella group at the University of Southern California (Overflow), the particular circumstances described in the novel have not actually resembled my experiences at all, so this opened up a whole new side of the a cappella world that I didn't even know existed.

The novel follows the a cappella scene at a fictional Midwestern university, Brighton University, the six a cappella groups of Brighton, and several of the singers in these different groups during the span of one year. In particular, we follow the two co-ed groups, the Harmoniums and the Chorderoys, the pursuits of their respective presidents, Dani and Taylor, and a few fresh-faced first years, auditioning for the various groups. And though there seemed to be a lot of characters and sub-plots to have to follow throughout the course of the novel, art imitates life--just as in real life, we get to know each and every character's backstory, and the reader soon finds out that living the aca-lifestyle is anything but simple.

It seems that the central plot surrounds the Harmoniums and the Chorderoys as they fight for survival; you see, at the beginning of the year, it's revealed Brighton's Student Government plans to cease funding for one of the school's six groups, which basically means dissolving a group. The president the Harmoniums, Dani, and the president of the Chorderoys, Taylor, figure that since the two groups are so similar, they're the two that are the most at risk. (Of course, there are other reasons, but you need to read to book to learn about those!) The book then shows the various tactics that the two groups employ to ensure that they will come out on top.

Within this plot, we follow Ben, brand-new to Brighton, and his pursuits in the acaverse. In fact, we meet a whole slew of fresh-faced aca-newbies: Akash, Caroline, Nicole, and Renee. We follow them through the initial stages of a cappella discovery, auditions, initiation, and integration. Right from the start, a romantic subplot emerges; Ben is attracted to Caroline, and they seem to have everything in common. Too bad Caroline has a boyfriend...

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book. It gave me some interesting insights into the world and politics behind "real" collegiate a cappella (or maybe a different a cappella scene), and it's definitely something that aca-nerds and aca-virgins alike will enjoy. Though there seemed to be a lot going on and a lot of characters to keep track of, that's the nature of an a cappella group (since most a cappella groups, especially co-ed ones, are rather large in size). However, I did feel that some of the more minor characters were not developed adequately; they fall right between the category of being developed too much and not being developed enough. Take, for example, Akash. Not wanting to be pegged as a Brighton "legacy" student (all the buildings on Brighton's campus seem to be named after his rather wealthy grandfather and his uncle was a founding member of one of the all-male groups, the Gobfellas), Akash decides to hide this aspect of his heritage. But after Akash makes this decision, we hear nothing more about it. Did the other members of the group he joined (which I shall not divulge) find out? There were just some details that seemed to fall by the wayside, which contributed to some iffy character development.

But, of course, I thought that this was a great aca-novel and an all-around fun read. Character development aside, I enjoyed the plot and took delight in a few unexpected twists and developments, and I also found the renaming of certain a cappella organizations and events entertaining ("MASA" for CASA and "WCA" for ICCA). If you ever want to take a peek into the workings of a collegiate a cappella group, or even if you're looking for a fun read, I'd definitely check this book out.

AcaPolitics is available on Amazon and is written by Stephen Harrison.