All the Right Notes

I just finished reading All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim, and I am still crying!

Late afternoon yesterday, I picked up this book and couldn't put it down (save for a few hours of sleep that I had to will myself to pencil in as I seriously didn't want to put this book down even for that).

That this is the debut novel of this author is absurd to me. It's so good! The emotions I am feeling right now are too much.

This story had me feeling all kinds of beautiful heartbreak. It reminded me of one of my childhood teachers and the place they will always have in the heart of my soul. It made me think of family and its different configurations and how, whatever the shape, family makes all of this so worth it.

To be seen by someone, to want for so long, and to feel lost and confused, and then, all of a sudden, find a home when you weren't even really looking for it. That home remains where it always was...

I cannot contain my thoughts. I'm also struggling to form complete sentences.

I called my mother once I finished this book, in tears for long enough to prompt her to call me her "emotional baby" at the ripe ol' age of 29.

Thank you, Dominic Lim. I hear the music. I love Quito, Emmitt, Mr. Cruz, and Ujima. Celeste and Milton. Err'body!

You broke my heart. Made it whole and healed it stronger. I don't know how long I'll have to wait for the kind of love Emmett and Ujima have, but books like this give me hope that it will be worth the wait. You, Dominic Lim, are hilarious and talented and have created something undeniably perfect.

I wish you all the best in your career and future endeavors, sir! Here's to the stories to come.