The hook of Jessica S. Olson’s Sing Me Forgotten is that it’s a YA, gender-swapped version of The Phantom of the Opera, which was enough to tantalize this musical theatre fan. I have also read Gaston Leroux’s novel, so you could say I was rather eager to see how this would compare, and what Olson’s spin on it would be. There may have been some skepticism on whether she could pull it off, but any doubt I had flew out the window the moment I was introduced to the world and characters she created.
In the place of the phantom is Isda, who was born a gravoir, a magical being that has been hunted out of existence. Her father figure Cyril found her in a well, where she had been left to die, saved her and raised her in his opera house. All gravoirs have a mark on their face that distinguishes them, so Isda grew up loathing the way she looked, envying all the beautiful singers who could stand in the limelight and soak in the applause, while Isda had to lurk in the shadows despite her musical ability and talent.
As a gravoir, Isda has magical abilities, and through song, she is able to extract elixir from an individual (which is like someone’s life force), as well manipulate memories, the latter something she does every night according to Cyril’s bidding, so that people leave with favourable views of the opera house, carrying with them memories of a fantastic musical experience. Even though Isda longs to be more than the ghost who haunts the opera house (haha), she is kept fearful by Cyril’s constant reminders of how the outside world would see her – as a monster.
Isda abides by his rules and stays out of sight, until the day she hears the beautiful voice of Emeric, a janitor working in the opera house, with a dream to perform on stage one day. While his voice is untrained, Isda is moved by it in a way she hasn’t been before, so she offers to tutor him, and the more time she spends with him and his memories (which she greedily enters without his knowledge), the more she likes him and eventually falls for him.
What I love is that Olson didn’t make Isda and Emeric carbon copies of the phantom and Christine. There are some broad similarities in their stories, but Isda is self-aware in a way that the phantom isn’t, while Emeric isn’t merely a love interest. He has his own backstory, and within his past lies the reason as to why he is so drawn to Isda, able to truly see her in a way no one has before.
Olson takes her time to build their love story, so when they do divulge their feelings to each other, it feels authentic and earned. It’s been a while since I rooted for a YA couple so ardently, and I would have loved to read a continuation of their story, but at the same time respect Olson for not milking the trilogy cow. Her prose is stellar stuff, creating such burning chemistry between the two that even their dancing felt like a combustible experience – think the waltz between Anna and Vronsky in Anna Karenina, but with ten times more fire.
The setting and world building is great as well, and is especially impressive for a debut author since she isn’t tempted to dump exposition on us, but reveals the details slowly through her narrative. And yes, while it’s clear to see the influence The Phantom of the Opera has in this narrative, especially with the references Olsen has scattered through her novel, Sing Me Forgotten is creative and different enough to stand on its own. I know I certainly won’t forget it any time soon.
Review copy provided.
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