Book excerpt: Mary Beth and her younger sister Leeann are trying to support themselves in their small Southern hometown. So, to make ends meet, alongside her job at the diner Mary Beth works by practicing her own unique talent: 'song reading'. By making sense of the song lyrics people have stuck in their heads, Mary Beth can help them make sense of their lives. In no time, Mary Beth's readings have the entire town singing her praises, including scientist Ben, who falls hard for Mary Beth and her unearthly intuition. But Mary Beth's gift leads her to a secret truth about a prominent neighbour and, as a consequence, the fragile structure of the girls' orphaned life comes tumbling down around them. Each secret seems to domino another until the sisters' whole complex emotional history is laid bare. And without Mary Beth's music the town's silence is louder than ever. Could it be that the lyrics to all those foolish love songs really aren't so foolish after all?