Sorrow – A Tale of Heartache, Hope, and the Power of Art to Change the World

Sorrow by Tiffanie DeBartolo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sorrow is an ideal book club read because it explores the interesting question of why some people follow their dreams and others don’t. Regardless of what each reader brings to the table, this dilemma touches us all in one way or another. In addition to its rich subject matter, DeBartolo’s novel is also delightfully easy to engage with and has a digestible word count!

Joe Harper has talent but no drive. Others believe in him, but he lacks that crucial element – believing in himself. His life is a catalog of missed opportunities. October Harpo is an artist who embraces every aspect of human existence, seizing it and honoring it by unearthing the beauty within, the art. She is passionate and throws herself into her art with intensity and abandon that amplifies Harper’s lack of both. October wants Joe to see himself as she does, to be who he really is. Will he allow himself the life that destiny laid at his feet the moment he walked into October’s studio?

Sorrow has the emotional feel of a lyrical poem disguised as a novel. Its cadence remains fluid and familiar – don’t we all struggle with the issue of following our hearts, of letting self-doubt win out over hope?  There are pieces of Joe and pieces of October in each of us. Author Tiffanie DeBartolo echoes those refrains in Sorrow, creating a work that is full of meaning while also being a pleasure to read.



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