The Singer Sisters

Seltzer’s lively if soapy debut follows a Jewish mother and daughter joined by their careers in popular music. The parallel narrative begins in the mid-1960s, when Judie Zingerman and her sister, Sylvia, are a popular folk-rock duo known as the Singer Sisters. The second story line concerns Judie’s daughter, Emma Cantor, an up-and-coming alt-rocker in the mid-1990s who’s trying to land her first record deal. Headstrong Emma has a conflicted relationship with Judie, which only becomes more complicated when a secret from Judie’s past comes to light and threatens to scuttle Emma’s career. The details are revealed later; mainly, the plot functions as a means for Seltzer to explore the importance of songwriting to her characters, as Emma’s discovery of Judie’s never performed songs helps her understand the choices Judie made as a younger woman. Judie has an alluring theory of songwriting: “I prefer when [a song] won’t let you in at first, and you have to knock on the door. But once you go inside, the house is endless.” Throughout, readers are treated to numerous examples of Judie’s and Emma’s perceptive insights on the business (“Becoming a bona fide rock star required.... The look, the presence and yes, the songs”), which almost make up for the schematic plot. Music lovers ought to take note. Agent: Susanna Einstein, Einstein Literary. (Aug.)