The Ensemble

2020 Longlist

They would never have been friends if they hadn’t needed each other. They would never have found each other except for the art which drew them together. They would never have become family without their love for the music, for each other.

Brit is the second violinist, a beautiful and quiet orphan; on the viola is Henry, a prodigy who’s always had it easy; the cellist is Daniel, the oldest and an angry sceptic who sleeps around; and on first violin is Jana, their flinty, resilient leader. Together, they are the Van Ness Quartet. After the group’s youthful, rocky start, they experience devastating failure and wild success, heartbreak and marriage, triumph and loss, betrayal and enduring loyalty. They are always tied to each other  by career, by the intensity of their art, by the secrets they carry, by choosing each other over and over again.

About the Author

Aja Gabel currently lives in Los Angeles. A former cellist, Aja studied writing at Wesleyan University and the University of Virginia, and has a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Her short fiction can be found in the Kenyon Review, Glimmer Train and BOMB.

Librarian’s Comments

This book follows four members of a string quartet over an 18 year period bound together by their love of making music. Both friendship and art are carefully explored and the reader gains a greater understanding of the pressures that make up the life of a professional musician. Cape Breton Regional Library, Canada