There are Seven Notes by Sudhu Balagopal

Val Penny ♦ November 27, 2013 ♦ 3 Comments

Sudha Balagopal was born and raised in India but has lived in the United States for over twenty years. She has a Master’s degree  in Journalism and Communications from the University  of Florida.   She works as a freelance writer and her short stories have been published  in a number of magazines of international repute in the USA, India and elsewhere in magazines such as Muse India, Driftwood, Her Circle, and Pax Americana.   Balagopal is an avid listener and admirer of Indian classical music, which inspired There are Seven Notes, her first book.   

There are Seven Notes is a collection of seven stories revealing the unseen bonds between life and music. It takes the readers along an emotional journey to knowledge of their irrational self. It is a compelling read that is full of life’s small but defining moments.

In the seven short stories, Balagopal explores the pervasiveness of classical music in Indian culture and illustrates the distance between life and art.

Her characters include an eight-year old Indian girl suffering through her singing lessons to satisfy her family, a professional singer stepping away from his performances to reassess his life, and a celebrity coming to terms with his dashed musical hopes for his son. He communicates emotion through music and bridges the gap between career and romance, and question if talent is inherited.

Sudha Balagopal’s writing crafts quiet, compelling stories full of small, defining moments in the lives of the characters she creates. Her unique narrative style contains unforeseen character choices that catch the reader off guard: yet feel absolutely right. Balagopal involves the reader by letting them participate, not only in the narrative events as they unfold, but in the story’s ultimate meaning. Her stories are delightful, the language is vivid and the tales she tells are infused with a deep understanding and love of music.  In this book, it is music that lies at the very heart of her characters’ inner worlds.  

She probes gently beneath seemingly ordinary lives, and through the recurring theme of music, finds in their lives a  poignancy that is far from ordinary.  The author offers a unique new voice.  Her stories are filled with strong characters and compelling situations. When I first discovered her work, it took me in immediately.  Balagopal’s work is thought-provoking, touching, and worth revisiting again and again.  Her short stories will take you on an emotional journey to better knowledge of yourself.  There are Seven Notes is a little book that packs a big punch and is well worth reading.

Valerie Penny