Fifteen-year-old Sylvia arrives from the city to the backwoods for a few days, and then it hits her...
Amidst these northern landscapes, among animal trails and cliffs, among simple people, in the silence, under the constellations, a sense of the vastness of life suddenly crashes down on her. She clearly feels her belonging to the world and the connection of all people on the planet: those who have passed, those living now, and those not yet born. Sylvia imagines how people lived here for thousands of years, just like us now; they loved, built, destroyed, went to war, left their marks, and passed something on to future generations. In this story, no one dies, but one of the main themes is death as a moment of life. It is revealed to Sylvia that what has died does not disappear without a trace — it nourishes the future. The voices of those who have passed sound forever on earth in the drawings they left behind, in their tools, in the music of their instruments, in the trees that grew from them and the ripened berries, in their descendants and settlements.
This book is about the connection of everything to everything, and it is not just about ecology, but also about the social interaction of people. In this remote corner, Sylvia underwent a transition to a new level: having realized her responsibility, felt her involvement in what humanity does, and clearly sensed that "we" is no less important than "I," she stepped from childhood into adult life. Her eyes were opened, and she desperately wanted them to be opened for others as well. Sylvia returns to the city, to her friends, full of strength and determination to change the world for the better...
"The Music of Wings" by David Almond is pure philosophy and a bit of magical realism for teenagers ready to take a step into the future.
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