You Think You Hear: A Novel [Hardcover]

Matt O'Keefe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2001

Lou Farren loves two things in life: rock and roll and his friend Cree, a beautiful drummer in a pop band who has no idea how he feels. Adrift in a post-college world of boring computer jobs, Lou agrees to be the roadie for the Day Action Band, a brilliant but unknown ensemble made up of Cree, bassist Joey, and Lou's best friend, Tim, on guitar. Opening for the Radicals, a British group with a single climbing the charts, the band travels coast to coast, moving closer and closer to fame. As Lou drives the Day Action Band's van, sells their T-shirts, and mediates their arguments, he learns what it's like to stand just outside the spotlight. He watches Tim charm women from the stage, sees Joey achieve the coolness he's always wanted, and tries unsuccessfully to look away when Cree falls into a tour romance with the lead singer of the Radicals. Every night Lou sits at a table in the back of the club, envying his friends and facing the idea that his life might be significant only for its relationship to theirs. When the band comes close to breaking up, Lou is forced to confront what he really wants for them, and for himself.

Reminiscent of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, Matt O'Keefe's hilarious and poignant debut is the story of a young man coming to grips with the distance between his dreams and his reality. You Think You Hear is about unrequited love, a romance with pop music, and the search for moments in life as satisfying as a perfect song.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This engaging if callow debut novel by a North Carolina pop music buff chronicles the adventures of 20-something Lou Farren, a Newark, Del., rock musician wannabe who signs on as roadie ("I prefer... Tour Manager") for the Day Action Band. Made up of three of Lou's cronies from student days at the U. of Delaware guitarist/composer Tim; bass guitarist Joey; and drummer Cree, Tim's former girlfriend TDAB is a smalltime rock band. Its latest album, You Think You Hear, is about to be released, and the band has finally landed a big-time gig, as the opening act for a hot British group called the Radials. Though Lou was charismatic Tim's first mentor, he was cast aside when Tim formed the group. Now, in lust with Cree, Lou swallows his pride and allows himself to be treated as a subspecies in the superficial rock music hierarchy. Sex kitten Cree, meanwhile, fawns over Radials singer Brant Adman, who is billed as a reincarnation of Beatles icon Paul McCartney. Over nearly three weeks of one-nighters in cities across the U.S., Cree finds fantasy fulfillment on the Radials' bus with Brant while Tim and Joey bask in reflected glory. With a subtly satisfying twist at the end, the novel succeeds creditably as entertainment, though an overload of road-trip details may give nongroupies travel fatigue.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In an amiable, conversational style, 21-year-old Lou Farren relates his experiences as a roadie for the Day Action Band, composed of three of his college friends. The bad food, fights, transcendent music, hassles, and band hierarchy are all recorded as Lou falls in love with the female drummer, Cree, and struggles with envy over the fact that the three friends he first saw play at a frat party might very well be on the verge of fame. This is O'Keefe's first novel, and although his narrative is sometimes plagued by a tedious recitation of detail, his characters are smart and funny, his love of rock 'n' roll is ever-present, and his descriptions of live music are impressive. Although it's not quite in the same league as Nick Hornby's High Fidelity (1995) or Tom Perrotta's The Wishbones (1997), O'Keefe's tale ultimately works pretty well as a road novel with a good soundtrack. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 295 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (April 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031226903X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312269036
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,739,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the perfect road trip read, July 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: You Think You Hear: A Novel (Hardcover)

In his debut novel Matt O'Keefe presents an engaging cast of characters - some likable, others not - but all of them real. The details of life on the road are funny and poignant and perfectly drawn - I read this book while driving across the U.S., and kept hoping to run into Matt O'Keefe's narrator along the way. "You Think You Hear" is a great book that deserves a big audience.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and funny, February 24, 2002

By 

Jule (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Think You Hear: A Novel (Hardcover)

I discovered this book at a discount book store in the clearance section, and took a chance. I began reading it the same night, and was unable to put it down. Matt O'Keefe's characters are personable, funny, and the story keeps you on your toes, wondering what will happen next. While reading, you almost feel as though you are on the road with these characters, experiencing everything they are. Take a chance, as I did, and go on the road with these four young people as they come into their own.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars O'Keefe's debut charms one and all, May 29, 2001

By 

Alice Dale (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Think You Hear: A Novel (Hardcover)

Matt O'Keefe's book is hysterical, but more importantly, it is honest. His characters: Lou, Cree, Tim, Joey and dozens of other colorful people say funny things, they say unfunny things, they say mean things, they say flawed things. They are human. How often do we as readers come across a piece of literature that is as reflective of ourselves and our society as this? It's as if Matt O'Keefe has known me all his life and knows MY friends. Through a vast knowledge of music and the beautiful landscape of America, O'Keefe does not set out to change the world nor does he intend to solve anything that incredibly important in the whole scheme of things. What he does accomplish, though, is an adventure into the minds of America's youths. You do not have to be music literate to love this book. But you have to have once been 18 or 30, or somewhere in between when you didn't know exactly what you were doing or where you were going, but you were loving the ride!