The B Side

When vinyl records spun on turntables and cassette tapes clicked into place, every album had two sides. The A-side carried the songs meant for wide release. The B-side held the ones that were less certain, sometimes less polished, often more personal. The B Side takes its shape from that idea. Structured like an album, the novella unfolds as a listening session, moving through tracks and scratches shaped by memory and experience. Through Anika's story, the book stays with moments that did not announce themselves at the time but left a lasting mark. These are scenes formed in growing up and in relationships, where meaning often arrived late. The narrative does not push toward resolution. It allows events to sit as they are, including what remains unfinished. Some tracks are uneasy to hear. Others feel familiar without explanation. As the record turns, attention shifts. Searching gives way to recognition. By the end, moments that once seemed incidental register as essential. The songs that were easy to overlook reveal a steady presence beneath the noise, something consistent enough to hold what could not be held elsewhere. The B Side is a reflective work for readers who recognize that the parts of a story that stay with us are not always the ones that were meant to stand out. Read more