Sophie Chen Keller's first novel, THE LUSTER OF LOST THINGS, was published nearly a decade ago. Although it was well reviewed, it didn't make the author a household name. 

That might be about to change with Keller’s sophomore effort, LITTLE WONDER, which has a lot of star power behind it. Not only is it one of the first books chosen for release by Jenna Bush Hager's new publishing imprint, Thousand Voices, it also has been selected for Oprah's Book Club. Is it worth all the celebrity buzz? With its message of determination and hope, all interwoven with the love of music, the answer is an emphatic yes.

"Classical music fans especially will appreciate seeing River's talent blossom... But even those who don't know the soundtrack will be inspired by the power of the connection between this memorable, determined mother and her devoted son."

The novel --- which is divided into “movements,” like a piece of classical music --- opens with a chaotic and increasingly stressful scene. Song, a young single mother, is traveling from Harbin, in far northeast China, to Beijing with her 11-year-old son, River. Actually, traveling isn't quite the right word. They are moving, carrying everything they own. For Song, that's quite a lot of bags and parcels, as many as she can bring onto the train. For River, the only thing that matters is his precious sheet music, which he studies while his mother protects him from being crushed by the hundreds of other people packed like sardines in the train car.

The scene at Beijing Railway Station is even more chaotic --- so much so that Song and River are separated on the platform, swept away from each other to avoid being trampled. What happens next is a years-long odyssey to find their way back to one another. 

What brought the two to Beijing in the first place was a pair of promises --- that the city might offer a respite from the asthma that has plagued River his whole life, and that it might connect him with a world-class piano teacher worthy of his talent. River, who has perfect pitch and a prodigious gift for music, also suffers from stage fright, a condition hardly improved by his old teacher's insistence on entering him in contest after contest. 

Now, alone in an unfamiliar city, Song and River have to make their way. For Song, that means being employed as one of the few female food delivery drivers (an occupation that gains increasing importance and danger after COVID-19 breaks out). For River, it's the home of a fellow pianist who shows him a new way to be in relationship with the classical music he loves. 

The pair's story unfolds in parallel narratives. Readers gradually learn about River's birth and early childhood, interspersed with the unfolding stories of their independent lives in Beijing, always striving toward one another but being unable to reconnect in such a vast metropolis. But they never lose hope, and readers will be both buoyed and heartbroken by the resolution to their respective quests.

Classical music fans especially will appreciate seeing River's talent blossom (and likely will enjoy listening to the many beloved pieces in his repertoire). But even those who don't know the soundtrack will be inspired by the power of the connection between this memorable, determined mother and her devoted son.