"Starkey deftly balances nostalgia, humor, and heartbreak throughout, providing authentic-seeming details about touring Japan while presenting a realistic story of two brothers coming to a better mutual understanding with age. A wise and smartly told story of reunion." —Kirkus“Very early in David Starkey’s The Fairley Brothers in Japan, one of those brothers, Chris, ‘had the warm feeling that nothing very bad could happen to him in Japan.’ This, despite the fact that it’s 2022, and he’s there to meet his brother Andy for the reunion tour of their folk-rock duo, more than thirty years after their (humiliating) last performance. Chris’s warm feeling proves, um, misleading, but if you are holding this book in your hands, you should savor the warm feeling that something very smart and funny, full of insight and earned wisdom, is about to happen to you.” —H. L. Hix, author of Constellation“David Starkey’s The Fairley Brothers in Japan is a raucous, episodic novel provoking outright laughter, penetrating sadness, and wonder, often at the same time. It is sort of Don Quixote meets The Blues Brothers. But that description is both an exaggeration and an understatement. Thirty plus years after an early success as a folk/rock band in 80’s America, the two brothers attempt a comeback in Japan. The story vividly explores the outrageous complexity of Japanese culture, the confluences of the international music scene, the irrationality of a collaborative creative process, but most importantly—the betrayals, conflicts, and undying love between two talented brothers. If you like a novel that’s turn-the-page fun to read, yet complex psychologically and emotionally, then you’re going to love The Fairley Brothers in Japan. Beautifully written, this is a must read." —Jim Peterson, author of The Sadness of Whirlwinds“With The Fairley Brothers in Japan, David Starkey has given us a masterclass in novel writing, and he has managed this with a cast of characters that hasn’t a whiff of charisma: The Fairley Brothers peaked in the 1980s and they have only been revived because their only hit single is featured in a Honda commercial which brings them to Japan. They would like to have the same effect on that island nation that Godzilla did, but their impact almost doesn’t register on any available Richter scale. I loved both brothers because they’re rendered with compassion, dark humor, and the essential knowledge that a real writer holds about the human condition: We really don’t understand each other at all and the three most important words in any language are ‘in spite of.’” —Lou Mathews, award-winning author of L.A. Breakdown, Shaky Town, and Hollywoodski“David Starkey’s The Fairley Brothers in Japan is the emotional and compelling journey of musician brothers Chris and Andy. The writing—sentence by sentence, scene by scene, page by page—is down-to-earth, graceful, and lyrical. In uniquely reimagining the road novel, Starkey powerfully forms The Fairley Brothers in Japan through song titles, song lyrics, and interviews with the folk-rock duo. Starkey’s vivid and detailed images illuminate the brother’s emotions while capturing the texture of Japan’s landscape and culture. And the images and details are as economical, elegant, and evocative as a haiku. Or a song by the Fairley Brothers: 'well crafted and clear, like photographs that included just the right amount of details.' Or like the brothers 'winding through a huge cemetery crowded with polished granite pillars with gold lettering.' As the Fairley Brothers journey through their shared and conflicted memories and grief, their bonds of brotherly love, family, and music, the reader experiences their yearning for meaning and song so the circle will be unbroken.” —Fred Arroyo, author of Sown in Earth: Essays of Memory and Belonging“I love a good road trip novel and The Fairley Brothers in Japan is just that: an endearing story of two brothers’ journey to reignite their youth, with an evocative musical backdrop. It’s a gentle, compelling ride which drew me into their relationship and the Japanese culture. The sort of novel which stays with you for days after you finish it.” —Ivan Wainewright, author of The Other Times of Caroline Tangent“If you love the spirit of live music, the comeback, and family finding their way, you will love this book. David Starkey is a gifted, natural storyteller with a poet's attention to detail and hope. This book is captivating and thoroughly delightful.” —Lee Herrick, California Poet Laureate and author of In Praise of Late Wonder: New and Selected Poems“The Fairley Brothers’ revival—musically, personally, and as siblings—through their tour across Japan beautifully captures the country’s unique blend of enthusiasm, calmness, shyness, transience, and strict yet curious cultural rules. As a Japanese cultural psychologist, I was especially moved by how their journey echoes the Zen teaching that ‘everything happens as it happens.’” —Keiko Ishii, Professor of Psychology, Nagoya University“With his experience in Japan and background as a musician, David Starkey is well-equipped to take us on the road with Andy and Chris as they navigate the quirks of Japan, explore diverse locales, encounter new acquaintances, rekindle old sibling rivalries, and reconnect with their cultural roots in a quest for a musical comeback. As a resident of Japan for nearly three decades, I felt myself ‘traveling along’ and rooting for the brothers as they faced challenges and made their way from small-town Hokkaido to Kyoto.” —Karen Lee Tawarayama, creator of the Kyoto Faces blog and co-editor of Structures of Kyoto“Funny but also moving and relatable as it explores the ephemerality of creativity and fame, the outrageous quirkiness of Japanese culture, and the complexity and deep connections of family relationships.” —Santa Barbara Independent
