Book Review: "The Final Revival of Opal and Nev" by Dawnie Walton
“The Final Revival of Opal and Nev” by Dawnie Walton
Bookshop | Kindle
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.
Publisher Synopsis: A kaleidoscopic fictional oral history of the beloved rock 'n' roll duo who shot to fame in 1970s New York, and the dark, fraught secret that lies at the peak of their stardom.
Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Coming of age in Detroit, she can't imagine settling for a 9-to-5 job--despite her unusual looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her at a bar's amateur night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together for the fledgling Rivington Records.
In early seventies New York City, just as she's finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal's bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially black women, who dare to speak their truth.
Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo's most politicized chapter. But as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens to blow up everything.
Provocative and chilling, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev features a backup chorus of unforgettable voices, a heroine the likes of which we've not seen in storytelling, and a daring structure, and introduces a bold new voice in contemporary fiction.
Rating (out of 5): 4
Trigger Warnings: violent racism, many microaggressions
Review: I am very interested in classic rock history, and very invested in anti-racism work. “The Final Revival of Opal and Nev” is a stunning book, told in an oral history format with plenty of fourth wall-breaking moments. While it will inevitably be compared to “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I found “Opal and Nev” much more engrossing and timely. And the latter’s protagonists are much more believable than the perfect Daisy Jones.
Now that that’s out of the way…
Opal is a misfit Black woman from Detroit. Nev is a misfit redhead from England. Yet somehow as a rock/punk duo, they fit together. Through the oral history format, and Sunny’s first-person editorial notes (she’s writing a book about the duo for reasons that become clear early on), we learn about Opal and Nev’s backgrounds and how they came to know one another. The novel slowly builds up to the concert-slash-protest that changes all of their lives forever, and new allegations come to light in some of Sunny’s subsequent interviews, which forces Sunny to question everything.
Walton doesn’t shy away from race and how moving through the world as Black women affected both Opal and Sunny. Each character has such a distinct voice—I was partial to Opal’s stylist, Virgil—yet the novel flows beautifully. Walton’s prose is lovely, and several passages made me wish I could look up the fictional Opal and Nev duo on YouTube! As a former journalist, she also nails the rock-n-roll history of the late ’60s/early ’70s.
I tend to not love an oral history-type novel because I often feel they violate the “show, don’t tell” rule of writing, but that absolutely wasn’t the case here. Highly recommend!
TL;DR: A fictional rock-n-roll oral history with a fresh lens on systemic racism. Your heart will go out to narrator Sunny as she explores the history of the rock duo that changed her life, and root for Opal as she breaks down barriers and fights for her freedom of expression.
If you liked this, try:
“Black Buck” by Mateo Askaripour (Bookshop | Kindle) (my review here)
“Grown” by Tiffany D. Jackson (Bookshop | Kindle) (my review here)
“Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid (Bookshop | Kindle) (SFOL Book Club)
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