Every Note Played

Karina is a pianist and Richard’s ex-wife, who takes him in after he is diagnosed with ALS. As one of two characters with chapters whose perspectives are followed in the text, Karina is arguably one of the novel’s dual protagonists. Raised in Poland as a Catholic, Karina can be intensely self-critical and feels particularly guilty about her decision to use a contraceptive device to avoid having any more children after Grace’s birth—a decision she did not reveal to Richard until years later. She does not regret choosing not to have more children, but she does regret not discussing the matter openly with Richard. Though Richard admires Karina’s seemingly boundless courage when he first meets and falls in love with her, over time, Karina places restrictions on herself as she responds to the demands of motherhood and allows Richard’s career to take precedence over her own. Particularly painful is her abandonment of what might have been a promising career as a jazz pianist.

Karina’s arc involves reconciling with Richard before moving forward into a life of greater purpose and ambition. As the novel opens, Karina is nursing her resentments and regrets about the way things turned out with Richard. By now, she feels like it is much too late for her to consider returning to her pursuit of jazz, despite the persistent invitations of her friend Elise. Instead, she passes her time teaching dull piano lessons to unmotivated students. When she learns that Richard has been diagnosed with ALS, Karina initially suspects that the rumor is just an attention-grabbing stunt. Once she witnesses the reality of Richard’s condition, Karina shows compassion for Richard, inviting him back into her home. As she cares for him, she begins to admit that she, too, carries some of the blame for the failure of their relationship. As Richard’s needs escalate, however, she finds herself feeling burned out, until she attends a jazz performance in New Orleans that inspires her to change her life. Returning home, she cares for Richard until he passes away and then comes to cherish a recording he left her offering his apologies and encouragement to pursue her own path in life. As the novel closes, Karina is finally preparing to do what she wants to do instead of letting others dictate and take advantage of her.

Grace is the daughter of Karina and Richard. As the novel opens, she is a freshman student at the University of Chicago. Following her parents’ divorce, she tends to side with Karina on most things, as she resents Richard for being absent during most of her childhood. Personable and sensitive, Grace can also be blunt on occasion, as when she confronts Richard about prioritizing piano over her. Among her other roles, Grace serves as a foil character to Richard, whose relationship with his father was similarly fraught. Whereas Richard’s father rejected him for his musical inclinations, Richard failed to connect with Grace when it became clear that she prefers sports to music. Grace thus tests Richard’s capacity to learn from and avoid his father’s mistakes.

Grace’s arc in the novel involves reconciling with Richard. Before learning about Richard’s diagnosis, Grace is estranged from him, as she feels that he betrayed their family. Once she learns that Richard has ALS, Grace again feels betrayed that her parents did not confide in her, instead leaving her to learn the truth through a friend. Only after returning home to witness Richard’s evolving symptoms does Grace begin to soften toward him, and she eventually agrees to take over caring for him while Karina travels. After Richard falls, and then offers a heartfelt apology to Grace, she acknowledges that she loves him as well. As the novel ends, Grace is sad to see her father die, especially since they had so little time to truly get to know each other. Her relationship with Richard illustrates the potential for individuals to make incremental progress in overcoming generational trauma, leaving each generation better off than the one before.