The Final Revival of Opal and Nev

Written as an oral history of a fictional punk rock duo in the 70’s, The Final Revival of Opal and Nev draws a lot of comparisons to Daisy Jones and the Six. I loved both books, but this is a grittier story incorporating some of the problematic racial history of America.  

Nev is a pale redheaded boy from England who chooses the deeply Black and flamboyantly unique Opal as his performance partner. After a slow start, their act becomes infamous after a concert turns into a riot and the drummer is beaten to death. 

Dawnie Walton’s writing really draws you in, the journalistic style creating a realistic feel to the book. While we are told about the disastrous concert early in the book, there is still a buildup in tension to the actual event and then again to their revival concert in 2016. 

While the book was fantastic, I have heard that the audio version is even better, performed by an ensemble cast.