A book about writing a book about a rock and roll band? Sign me up. Published in 2024 by Sarah Tomlinson, The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers reminds me of several stories for different reasons: Daisy Jones because of the music, Evelyn Hugo because the protagonist is a writer trying to get the real story behind the main characters, and Almost Famous because one of the pivotal characters is a groupie. But let me back up.
Writer Mari Hawthorn is in desperate need of a best-selling book and, as all writers know, this profession can be a lonely, lawless business that requires you to be proactive, be your own boss, and do whatever it takes to get the whole story. Mari is a ghost writer – the kind that does all the work but gets none of the credit – and she’s been tasked with ghost writing for the aforementioned groupie. Her name is Anke (of course it is) and she’s not really a groupie because she was married to Mal, one of the founding members of the Midnight Ramblers. She also dated two other band members – Dante and Jack.
The band, whose name is an obvious nod to the Rolling Stones, is known not only for their decades-long music career but also for Mal’s mysterious death. “These were the artists who had created the emotional tone of our collective lives.” After her days with the band, Anke made her money as a model (of course she did) and now focuses on clothes, yoga, and having an impeccable beige home. “Anke made her life exceptional by living it.” She’s rail-thin, wears couture, and never lost her German accent – very easy to picture. Anke is also the definition of a writer’s nightmare because she wants a book written about her but doesn’t want to provide any information. “Anke did not wish to be investigated. She wished to entice.” Ugh.
Written in the third person, the book’s chapters begin by offering advice on how to be a ghost writer and how to get your subject to give you the story. For example: “You must be confident enough for both you and your celebrity on the days when their darkest stories make them doubt themselves.” Because Anke goes back and forth between telling her story and keeping her secrets, Mari has her work cut out for her in more ways than one. “Long before there is a book in the world, there are two people sitting alone together.” Exactly. The “how to” guide gets more and more relevant as the book goes on, showcasing the level of investment required to be an investigative writer. “After you’ve heard the iconic stories twice, you must write. Gaps are inevitable. It’s your knowledge of them as a person that’s the key.”
What makes Midnight Ramblers appealing is Mari’s relentless journalistic determination to find out the truth about what happened to Mal, the real story behind Anke, how all the people involved in the band (including managers, handlers, and admins) figure into the bigger picture, and how Anke’s son Odin (who might be the most reliable of the group) fits into everything. I don’t want to give anything away because the gumption with which Mari goes about solving these mysteries leads to another book and showcases what it takes to be a hardcore journalist. “It’s flattering when a celebrity takes an interest in you, but you have to be careful. Often, they aren’t used to the sustained effort a book requires.”
While the entire book is excellent, the second half moves at a rapid pace because, along with Mari, the reader is getting to the bottom of the rock and roll mystery. Learning about who unraveled and why, who stayed loyal, who bailed and why, and what’s next is exciting. Similar to Daisy Jones, I would love to hear Midnight Rambler songs and see these characters come to life on a screen. The main difference is that the musicians in this novel are in their 70s and, as one of the band’s handlers points out, “No one likes to see them as such, but they are.” A sad truth about aging rock stars. I know I have a Quotes section below, but this one was so full of truth I wanted to address it in the conclusion of my review: “No one was immune to the diminishment of age – except for maybe the band – but it meant something, daring to create in your lifetime, not just a mountain of books but a home, a clan, a life.” Similar to the narrative of this book, everything goes back to family – because that is what matters.
Quotes:
“allegations live on and retractions go unnoticed”
“Major stadium rock acts are like small cities – they have economies and weather patterns all their own.”
“I have seen the power of the written word again and again.”
“Maybe the stereotypes were right, and we never did outrun what our youth had imprinted on us.”
“Belonging was an act like everything else.”
“In her experience, it was better to know more than you said.”
“He wasn’t free to revel in the full scrappy mess of life any more than she was.”
“There are many ways to tell the story.”
I laughed out loud when I read this because it’s so accurate: “Every time nonwriters scratch out half a page, they wanted a trophy. Often refused to let their rare and precious words be edited.”
“What made people do their worst? Fear.”
“Listen like your life depends on it. Such next-level ability to focus on others can’t be taught.”
One of the better descriptions of memoirs I’ve ever read: “A memoir isn’t meant to be a litany of every sordid act ever committed; it is meant to have an arc that can inspire as much as entertain.”
“Mari saw them for what they were: Parents. And twin flames. The kind of true love that endured.”
“If you are this courageous in your life, you can be this courageous on the page.”
“Through her determination and, yes, her unconditional love, she had found depths she hadn’t been aware of, and she had come through.”
Leave a Reply