"The Future Saints" by Ashley Winstead is an ambitious novel, expansive in its concerns: sisterhood and family, the highs and lows of the music industry and the long-term consequences of mental illness and addiction. The novel is at its strongest in its close attention to daily interactions—among the band members themselves and with the record executive tasked with rescuing them from oblivion by producing a “successful” new album or, failing that, sending them off to pack up their guitars and drums.

At its core, this is the story of Hannah, the band’s lead singer. When she’s not risking the group’s future by trading their traditional California sound for emotionally devastating hard rock, she sees visions of her dead sister and engages in conversations with her that feel startlingly real. These moments propel the story forward at a fast clip. As readers, we feel deep compassion for Hannah and willingly go along for the ride, in part because Theo—the record executive—invites us to do so. As he falls in love with Hannah, he also grapples with his own career ambitions and family pressures, grounding the novel’s emotional intensity.

"The Future Saints" is a thoughtful, compassionate novel—one I was genuinely glad to spend time with. Winstead’s writing is expressive and emotionally attuned. As Hannah’s captured audience, we feel her pain and loss; we want her to heal, to confront her demons, and to survive. We root for the band, and especially for Hannah, to make it through intact.

Johnny Depp has said, “Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t.” I challenge readers to pick up this novel and decide for themselves. Without hesitation, I can say that Winstead’s "The Future Saints" was music to my eyes.