Though we can’t prove it, I have a hunch that Neandertals and Homo Erectus were “singing” long before they were painting, and definitely before they were writing. (Prove me wrong Yuval Noah Harari).

That’s why early every great fiction series has music, as do the best movies. Sometimes, the music even steals the show. (Think Django, Harry Potter, and Baby Driver)

It’s not until we hear this big, burly, bearish man singing to himself that the character opens up to the reader — and to the girl following him.

Therein lies its beauty. Music has a magical ability to change the way people feel and act. Walk into a room where three strangers are conversing and you might feel nervous. Walk into the same room with music (say, The Mama’s and The Papa’s) playing quietly, and your distance from them will shrink by 50%! (Harvard Study).

In the woods, the responsibility is only
to the self.

And Saunter is selfish as they get.

He is the posterized champion of society, a “hero.” Yet he has fallen from grace. After a series of events I won’t get into here, he flees his responsibilities, escaping to the ancient, mystical, tropical woods of Elevana.

Elevana, like the woods, sits on the edge of civilization. It is an island of outcasts and exiles, whose immaculate beaches are tormented by the occasional debilitating weather. No surprise, this refugee island, where all native children are indentured servants, is where Saunter retreats from society. The way I hear the song, is like the captain of an old ship, drifting aimlessly at sea. His crew has left him and he struggles to manage it on his own. He stands at the bow and watches as the shoreline drifts further and further away.

Without a crew, without a mission, the captain has lost sight of who he is, what he is, and what he wants. If you read the book, you will learn about Saunter’s true identity, what he has accomplished, and may get a clue to his destiny. But if I had to compare him to a musical artist, at least in sound, it would be Jimmy Durante. Or maybe a mixture of Durante and Eric Clapton.

Without a crew, without a mission, the captain has lost sight of who he is, what he is, and what he wants. If you read the book, you will learn about Saunter’s true identity, what he has accomplished, and may get a clue to his destiny. But if I had to compare him to a musical artist, at least in sound, it would be Jimmy Durante. Or maybe a mixture of Durante and Eric Clapton.