Part family saga, part coming of age tale, LET IT BE is a novel intimately linked to the music of the Beatles, a touching tale of loss, longing, and forgiveness that chronicles the breakup of a marriage, the destruction of a family, and the struggle to come together in the aftermath of what remains.
Let It Be is a novel with a soundtrack, a story that is intimately linked to the music of the Beatles.
When Michelle Jansen moves to Amarillo to get away from her abusive husband, she struggles to meet the emotional needs of her two children as she continues to rebuff the demands of her overbearing ex, but she finds love and support in the arms of a coworker who is as much of a Beatles fan as she is, and she begins to gain the confidence and the strength that she needs to stand on her own. Michelle's ex can't bear to see her happy, however, and she's blindsided by an unexpected betrayal as her ex turns her very own son against her; when this family that has already been split down the middle is thrown into chaos, it's up to Michelle to find a path toward healing and forgiveness, a way to right the wrongs that have hurt them all.
With chapters named for and influenced by songs that appear on the Beatles final album, Let It Be is a mesmerizing novel filled with true-to-life characters, a touching tale of loss, longing, and forgiveness that chronicles the breakup of a marriage, the destruction of a family, and the struggle to come together in the aftermath of what remains.
Excerpt
When my brother was ten years old, he almost killed a man. No one in my family has ever talked about what Joseph almost did, because we’re Texans, and Texans rarely talk about what might have been, but it’s something that I’ve thought about quite often, something I’ve had to think about since my mother passed away.
It happened the year my parents got divorced, which was also the year that my mother fell in love with the music of the Beatles for a second and final time. Her favorite album that year was Let It Be.
Professional Reviews
Book Review: Let It Be: A Novel (9780988661004) - ForeWord Reviews
A coming-of-age novel that elegantly explores the human state of loneliness, Let It Be by Chad Gayle is a powerful story with melodic accents from the Beatles' final album.
After moving halfway across Texas in the 1970s to create better lives for her two children and to clean her slate while in the process of divorcing her abusive husband, Michelle Jansen finds solace in a romance with her new boss and from her favorite album, Let It Be. Struggling to get along with a nosy, judgmental coworker and dodging harassing calls from her ex-husband, Michelle's imagined fresh start is not as easily attainable as she thought it would be. She becomes especially distraught over her difficult transition into single parenthood when her preteen daughter, Pam, rebels by befriending a smart-mouthed neighbor and her ten-year-old son, Joe, betrays her by making contact with his father (of whose abuse he is oblivious).
Set to the sound track of the Beatles' album, with chapters named after songs, this concise yet layered novel easily weaves together the different perspectives of Michelle and her children and offers intimate explorations of their emotions and ambitions.
The chapter titled "Across the Universe," told from Joe's point of view, intricately captures the loneliness and confusion the boy experiences in observing the behavior of his mother and sister. Riding around on his bike in this hot, dry Texas neighborhood, Joe becomes angrier as his puzzlement over the divorce grows.
The longest chapter, "I Me Mine," narrated by Michelle, offers insight into a single mother's uncomplimentary yearnings both for independence and for a knight in shining armor (a part played by her charismatic boss, Dan). Other sections narrated by Michelle are particularly revealing of the chasm that can form between a parent and child while the family is in the midst of divorce. Michelle's focus on improving her children's lives by becoming a wage earner and by encouraging her children to make friends results only in distancing her from their most important need—namely, emotional support.
Though some readers may be left wanting when it comes to the story of thirteen-year-old Pam and her role in the unfolding of the plot, others may appreciate the mystery she adds to the story. She does not narrate much of the novel, and her brooding presence is elusive. Yet while she does not participate heavily in the story line revolving around the conniving between Joe and their father, events would not unfold in the same way without her.
Overall, Gayle succeeds in creating a unique and transcendent narrative out of a not-so-original premise. The actions of the multidimensional characters, carried out in a realistic setting, illuminate the demolition of family as a result of violence and abuse, the consequences of misguided priorities, and the destructive power of a child's ignorance.
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