‘A Voice of Her Own’ and ‘Shattered’

What happens when a teenager’s talents run contrary to parental expectations? Two perceptive and provocative novels explore this question as their protagonists — a poet and a musician — discover that their artistic accomplishments displease their fathers.

“A Voice of Her Own” is a fictional autobiography subtitled “Becoming Emily Dickinson.” The author, who spent many years studying the poems and letters of Emily Dickinson, relates the story in first person. This bold choice, initially surprising, is highly successful. The narrative follows Emily’s growth from a 9 year old child who wrote poems to a teenager who yearned to become a poet. Readers become familiar with a girl who is merry and fun-loving yet also serious, sensitive, and subject to panic attacks.

Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 known poems, of which only 10 were published during her lifetime. The main reason was her father’s severe disapproval. She never submitted a single poem for publication but gave them as gifts to friends; a few of these gifts found their way into print. After the first, Emily reported, “Father’s reaction was a disappointment though not a surprise. I regretted the publishing, but not the writing of the poem.” Although she ached to please her father, Emily could not and would not deny her own nature. Her inner strength and sense of self eventually brought her to find “A Voice of Her Own” and claim her identity as a poet.

“Shattered” begins on the night 14-year-old Cassie, rising star with the Chicago Youth Symphony, nails her featured solo at a major concert. She plays a rich-voiced Mangenot violin, unexpectedly given to her when she was 11 by a grandfather she barely knows, whom she hasn’t seen since. To her surprise, the grandfather shows up for her concert. The next morning, Cassie’s volatile father smashes her beloved violin.

This is a story about putting together broken pieces: of ruined relationships, destroyed dreams and family secrets going back generations. Cassie runs away from home and gets into several scrapes before finally calling her mother, but once she returns home, the real work of recovery is still ahead of her. The novel, told in first person, is most successful when exploring Cassie’s inner life. While the dialogue with other characters occasionally seems almost clinical, Cassie’s thoughts and feelings are always authentic. Lost and alone in a strange town, she feels an overwhelming urge to play her violin. “I imagine sheet music on a stand in front of me and walk through the notes in my brain ... I hum and breathe, singing the notes the way they would sound coming from my violin.” Her music helps Cassie to face the many complicated issues in her life, accept the help of people who love her, and emerge a stronger, more compassionate person.