Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung

Kym, who discovered the violin at just seven years old, quickly began outperforming her peers and teachers and soon became a featured soloist at orchestral concerts. In this beautiful memoir, she shares the juxtaposition of what it means to be unique and special while also learning to be a good Korean daughter: seen but not heard, subservient to her elders, and never able to forget that simply being a girl makes her lesser. At 21, she found a rare 1696 Stradivarius that would musically complete her. Then, in 2010, her violin was stolen, and Kym sank into a depression that forced her to come to terms with the love and loss of her childhood, the control that stifled her, and the opposite lives she was forced to live. Kym’s story sings with the music of Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and the many other composers who wrote the score of her life. Kym’s descriptions of playing music will bring readers as close to the experience as they can get without picking up an instrument. This work of love, loss and redemption is sure to connect with many. (Apr.)