Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another edition of The Avid Reader. Today our guest is Chris Cander, author The Weight Of A Piano, published by Knopf in January. Chris is the writer in residence at Houston-based Writers in the Schools, an organization which works with children—in reading and in writing. She has also written the novels Whisper Hollow and 11 Stories.
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In The Weight Of A Piano, our protagonist, surrounded by a fine cast of characters is a Bluethner (blueter) upright piano. Upright, because a Grand would have been way too unwieldy for this story.

This beautifully made and, for the most part, lovingly cared for instrument carries, as it should, so much weight, that it sort of bends the space-time around in such a manner that the characters spiral about it, and in each revolution, are drawn closer and closer.

Clara, Bruce, Greg, Katya all are possessed and do possess something that is precious and valuable and at the same time, not a curse or albatross but something to be carried. The idea of letting go or not is what makes this book. From the cover, to the acknowledgments.

And with that welcome Chris and thanks so much for joining us today.