Townshend is known as the lead guitar player and main songwriter of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band The Who, which is one of the most influential rock and roll groups of the 20th century. They have sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide, and he is the composer of such rock operas as Tommy and Quadrophenia.
The book deals with a former rocker that has disappeared on the Cumberland moors. When his wife finds him, she discovers that he has become a hermit, as well as a painter of apocalyptic visions.
As an author, he explores the anxiety of modern life and madness in a story that stretches across two generations of a London family, their lovers, collaborators, and friends. Anybody who has ever dealt with the music business can relate to its subject matter since it deals with the complexity of recording artists and their artistic process. In various chapters, the book appears to be somewhat autobiographical for Townshend. Readers will come across familiar details and motifs from his life.
Without giving too much away, the book is vivacious and easy to read (which can be done in two or three sittings).
The Age of Anxiety: A Novel is available on Amazon.
The Verdict
Overall, Pete Townshend’s new novel, The Age of Anxiety: A Novel, is thought-provoking, well-written and insightful. It is a must for all music fans and it garners an A rating.
