"You don't have to have a solo voice to be in a choir," he said. "In fact, there is something about a choir that brings together imperfections in the voices and uses them to make something new, like an infusion of different kinds of tea leaves. It can be quite beautiful."
This is said by a minor character in the book, but struck me as so true, and as important to the story on many levels.
Annabel is a wonderful book. I'm not quite finished, but I definitely recommend it. Hauntingly beautiful and tender, it tells the story of a child born both male and female in a Labrador coastal village. Kathleen Winter's sensitive portrayal of the child as he grows is a masterwork. An incredible first novel.
Aside: Our choir director always brews a pot of tea on Sunday mornings with (at least) two different types of leaves. I had never thought of this as a metaphor for the combining of voices in song!
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