Part 1 Summary

Grace Notes takes a poignant look at the life of a female composer whose life has begun to unravel. Short listed for the Booker prize, Grace Notes offers a look at the state of a depressed female mind in a male dominated profession. The novel is a moving exploration of music in the mind of an artist for whom music is her only salvation.

Catherine McKenna goes to Ireland for her father's funeral. She boards the plane, trying her best to block out thoughts of her baby, Anna. She remembers her father, the way he dressed and the way his Adam's apple would bob when he spoke. She remembers being a child and sitting on his knee. She wants to cry again. From the plane, she rides the bus through her hometown, searching for familiar landmarks. She remembers listening to the Orangemen's drumming...