Fingers and Toes

Sinead is an exceptionally talented U of T music student facing a frightening problem. She has been asked to enter an international two-piano music competition with a concert pianist friend, just as she is experiencing unexplained memory lapses during performances.

She sees a psychologist specializing in performance anxiety, on the advice of her boyfriend. The resulting theory for the cause of the lapses comes as a shock to her parents. She has seven months to work on her problem in order to enter the terrifying arena of performance without it being an embarrassing disaster.

To complicate matters, Sinead is upset about her mother-daughter relationship marked by a lack of communication despite the love they have for one another; her best friend is about to leave on his Mormon two-year mission; one of her sisters is coping with having narrowly escaped being raped but for the observational skills of her beloved little brother with an intellectual disability; and another sister, a professional ballerina, is in an abusive relationship.

The novel explores family dynamics, the pursuit of love, religious differences and the challenges young women face today.

It is an uplifting family story in which the reader subtly learns facts about classical music, ballet and gymnastics. Additionally, the unique features of Hamilton, Toronto and northern Ontario cottage country are beautifully described.

The self-inflicted mind games people play when they are pushed to step out of their comfort zones to reach the next level in whatever they are pursuing is universally relatable.