The Time of our Singing

Publisher: Penguin (Cornerstone)
Publish date: 12 June 2025
Pages: 640
Binding: Paperback
Language: English

Subjects: Fiction, Literary, Family Life, Siblings, African American & Black, Performing Arts, Music

'There is no contemporary American writer quite like Richard Powers ... It is rare to find a novel as intellectually and emotionally engaging as this' GUARDIAN

'Formidable ... rewarding' SUNDAY TIMES

'An astonishing performance' NEW YORK TIMES

Jonah, Ruth, and Joseph are the children of mixed-race parents who aspire to raise them beyond the constraints of time and identity, immersing them in a world of song. However, they cannot shield them from the realities of the outside world forever.

Jonah, a talented young tenor, finds that the opera world remains preoccupied with his race. Ruth, rejecting classical music, disappears instead into a life dedicated to activism and a new relationship. Over the years, Joseph - the middle child, a pianist, and our narrator - struggles not only to stay connected to his siblings but also to carve out a future on his own.

A powerful story of a tragedy of race in America, The Time of Our Singing is an enthralling, harrowing novel about the lives of choices of one family at the crossroads of identity.