A review of Echo (by Pam Muñoz Ryan)

A Review of Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan 

        Echo is a wonderfully complex book with four storylines that connect to each other in subtle but powerful ways, using the universal language of music to transcend distance and time.

(spoilers ahead)

        The book starts with a boy named Otto and a story in a book he has. Otto is lost in the woods playing hide and seek, and reads the story. The story tells of three sisters who were cast away and raised by a witch, as their father, a king, wanted an heir to the throne. After the king died, they were searched for and found, but the witch cursed all of them with a spell that stopped time, trapping them. After finishing the book and noticing how late it was, he tries and fails to return home, and is instead saved by the three sisters. He carries their spirit in the harmonica and returns home half a day later, despite experiencing three in the forest. The prelude ends with Otto vowing to carry on the three sisters' message and spirit.

        The next section is told from a boy named Friedrich, who lives in Germany, set just before the Nazi party takes power. He was born with a birthmark and is ridiculed and tormented because of it. Despite being easily top of his class, he is marked for expulsion due to his "unusual behaviors," which consists of an overactive imagination combined with a love of music and conducting. His sister becomes Nazi-affiliated while staying away from home, and moves permanently to Berlin for medical work. Friedrich starts work at a harmonica factory and discovers the harmonica from the prelude, keeping it. The harmonica later is shipped away to America. His father is imprisoned for playing music with a Jew, and his sister delivers money for a ransom. However, in the middle of delivering a ransom he is caught, and his fate is unknown.

        The story continues with two orphaned brothers, named Mike and Frankie, in a Philadelphia orphanage. Mike is extraordinarily talented at the piano, but musical talent is not what the adopters are looking for. However, they are adopted by a rich lady named Eunice so she can claim her father's will. Mike receives the harmonica from a friend of Eunice, and becomes proficient in the harmonica as well. Eunice's transition from a cold-hearted heiress to a person who genuinely enjoys the brothers is a prominent theme. However, Mike undergoes a revelation that causes him to attempt to run away. Mike's wish to join a harmonica band is replaced by a career in piano, and he donates the harmonica to a group of schoolchildren.

        The last story in this journey touches on Ivy, an Hispanic girl who is also very talented in the harmonica. She moves just before she can play a solo on the radio, and as her parents are very derisive of music, the opportunity to try and convince them is lost. They move for a job opportunity looking over a farm owned by the Yamamotos, who are imprisoned in interment camps due to the conflict with Japan. She decides to learn the flute, and gives the harmonica to the son of the Yamamotos, which ends up saving his life when it deflects a bullet. 

        In the end, all three characters perform together at Carnegie Hall, and the three sisters are freed. The theme of music as a common language is very prevalent, and the complex interactions and dynamics between the four storylines, as well as the eventual conclusion, is well worth the long read. The book is a little on the lengthy side, and it is a long wait to the conclusion. If you enjoy dissecting stories and finding connections through the confusion, and don't mind a (very) long read, Echo is a great book. Overall, it took many read-throughs to understand the complexity of Echo, but it is absolutely worth it.

-Jonathan