THE SOUND OF VIOLET

In this revised version of Wolf’s 2015 novel, a young man with autism eagerly looks for love but misreads signs along the way.

Shawn Lambent, a 24-year-old, autistic computer programmer, hopes to make a romantic connection. He has a profile on all the dating apps, including the one run by Exclusiv, the company for which he works, but he never seems to ever get past the first date. But Shawn is methodical; he knows that it’s a numbers game, and he just needs to keep trying. As he prepares to attend a work party, his brother, Colin, coaches him on how to smile to catch someone’s eye—and it works: Shawn meets a woman who calls herself Violet, and they set up a date almost immediately. When she shows up at the apartment Shawn shares with his widowed grandmother, she seems surprised by his discomfort with touch. It seems that Violet, a sex worker, misunderstood their conversation about meeting up. However, Shawn is kind and eager, and Violet finds herself agreeing to let him walk with her to her next job. She tells Shawn that she acts for a living (“for once the lie felt uncomfortably close to the truth. Every night was a performance, every client an audience of one”) and must go to late-night auditions. Although his family questions their relationship, Shawn is sure that Violet is the one, and that their love is solid. Love isn’t easy, though—especially when it becomes clear that Violet’s “manager” isn’t going to let her go without a fight. Wolf’s romance was originally based on a screenplay, which the author directed as a feature film in 2022. It’s an appealing story of love conquering all: Neither Shawn nor Violet have easy lives, but despite the two characters’ differences, their needs and personalities mesh well. They’re appealing main characters, but the supporting cast is also well-developed—especially the members of Shawn’s support system, who walk a line between helping him and allowing him to find his own way. Backmatter includes movie stills and book club questions.

A heartwarming love story with standout characters that readers won’t forget.