BEHIND THE BARS by BRITTAINY C CHERRY

“You’re the music in a mute world, and my heart beats because you’re here.”

There’s no doubt about it, Brittainy C Cherry is responsible for some of the most heartbreaking, painful yet beautifully hopeful stories we’ve read. There is such sweet sensitivity and honesty to her words, we can’t help but be affected by them.

‘He played as if he were bleeding out into the streets of New Orleans. He left nothing on the table and gave his music his all. In that moment, I realized I never gave anything my all – not like him, not like that.’

Behind the Bars once again showcases this authors talent for reaching into the hearts of her readers with a story that’s both painfully sad, and uplifting and sweet at the same time, demonstrating the strength of the human spirit and the importance of love and hope.

‘Some days it was better to lie than to face the darkest truths.
Her heart was broken…’

Sixteen year old Elliott Adams was an outcast at high school. Prone to vicious bullying – a sad, lonely and tortured young man with a heart of gold in spite of the horribly painful and embarrassing treatment dished out to him day after day. Closed off emotionally except to those close to him, Elliott’s escape was music, until the day, Jasmine Greene stepped into his life.

‘When Elliott had his music, his soul was free. Because of jazz, Elliott was able to breathe.’

Jasmine Greene had been denied a childhood thanks to her overbearing mother’s insistence that Jasmine obtain success as a pop singer, home schooling her and, Jasmine only knew the rigours of dance and singing rehearsals. Fun did not factor into Jasmine’s life. Though very popular at her new high school, Jasmine too, cut a sad and lonely figure, berated and belittled by her unloving mother, Jasmine seeks solace in the kind, sweet Elliott and sets out to save him from the bullies with heartbreaking and tragic consequences.

‘That’s when I saw the boy who played the music. I’d always say I saw him first, but he’d argue that was a lie.’

The story skips six years after high school when Jasmine and Elliott reconnect and are forced to deal with their painful time apart and it is quite simply heartbreaking.

“I just need you to know that my heart is rough sometimes. Sometimes it beats unevenly. Some days it’s battered and bruised….”

Brittainy C Cherry so beautifully captured the richness of the New Orleans jazz scene and the atmosphere of NOLA. You could breathe it in, feel the heat, and hear the music. This author certainly  delivered a story that did pull at our heartstrings however there were times we felt a little disconnected to the story due to jumps in time and certain aspects and moments we would have liked fleshed out a little more. In saying that, there’s no doubt readers will fall in love with Jasmine, Elliott and the sincerity of Brittainy C Cherry’s words. How could you not?