UTOPIA AVENUE by David Mitchell

Utopia Avenue is the name of a very talented eclectic band assembled in England in the 1960s.  The backdrop of this musical era helps make this a nostalgia trip worth taking.  Griff, the drummer, is the only member of the band who does not sing or write, but he endures a tragic event that threatens to derail his career.  Jasper, the superb lead guitarist, has spent time in a mental health facility because of noises in his head that disrupt his life.  Dean is the bass player who left home as a teenager after his father burned his guitar and treasured memorabilia.  The keyboardist is a woman nicknamed Elf, who is not elfin but had moderate success previously in a folk duo.  I loved all four of these musicians, as well as their manager, Levon, but the plot drags at times, despite the sprinkling of cameo appearances by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, David Bowie, and a bunch of others.  And let’s face it, this is a very long book that leans heavily on character development.  Dean is the closest to being a stereotypical rock star, and, although both he and Elf probably would have a shot at a solo career, the band members are very supportive of one another.  They become a close-knit family, despite the fact that, except for Jasper and Dean, they were strangers before they came together as a band.  Some healthy competition among them serves as an impetus for each of them to perform at their optimum level.  The biggest squabble among them is deciding whose single they will release first—Jasper’s, Dean’s, or Elf’s.  Ultimately, they roll the dice—literally.