The Playlist is a journey through loss, addiction, relationships and ultimately love - to the soundtrack of 43 songs.
Since publishing her first book in 2018, Melina Lewis, has gone on to write 6 books, including a tween trilogy, and finally her seventh book – The Playlist – is ready for the South African public.
The Playlist is a story about a journey through loss, addiction, relationships and ultimately love - to the soundtrack of 43 songs. It's a physical journey that the two main characters, Jack and Maria, must undertake across Southern Africa. It is also a personal journey for each of them through addiction and loss, and ultimately an evolution of love.
“The story really is about the process that each of us has to take to work through our own “stuff” to make it through to the other side,” explains author, Melina Lewis. “The journey that my two characters take and the music that accompanies this expedition are so important. I love music and lyrics and the process of choosing each song to match the 'theme' of the chapter. I loved the writing process for this book - it was a journey within a journey, within another journey - that of Maria and Jack and their personal evolution and the evolution of their relationship.”
When Jack Pringle, the spoilt and out of control son of one of Cape Town’s wealthiest families is forced by his father to join Maria Alexopoulos on a road trip, he has no idea what he’s in for. Jack’s recent antics have landed him in serious trouble, and he must comply with his father’s rules, or he will end up penniless, something he is not familiar with.
Maria, the head Project Manager for an NGO called Wells for All is about to start her final journey across South Africa to close out her projects and tie up some loose ends. Maria’s recent personal loss and grief make her less than tolerant of Jack, a man twenty years her junior. Unfortunately, she must take Jack with her to appease his father, the NGO’s main donor.
The journey, told with music, across the barren and beautiful countryside will test their resolve, ability to heal and connect. When they are stripped of all they believe they should be, can Maria and Jack find their truth under the African stars.
Through the book, Lewis explores the unique relationship between music and memory, demonstrating how music has the power to evoke emotions and trigger memories in a way that few other things can.
The Playlist will be available in bookstores and online from 01 June 2023. You can also buy your book directly from Melina on www.melinalewis.com or buy the Kindle edition via https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C57G49Z7
