Singer-songwriter Courtney Yasmineh packs a stormy ballad's punch and
showcases a lyrical style in her first novel.
Set in the late '70s, A Girl Called Sidney: The Coldest Place by rock
musician Courtney Yasmineh is a searing, nerve-rattling story of a
mature 17-year-old whose family disintegrates in spectacular fashion in
affluent suburban Chicago.
After first spiriting her mother away and then running away herself to
the family's remote Northwoods cabin in Minnesota, Sidney challenges
herself to survive alone and find her voice over the course of a brutal
winter.
The narrative takes the reader on a dark and moody ride back and forth
in both time and place, between Chicago and a tiny rural town. Getting
inside Sidney's head as she tries to make sense of a cast of
characters - family, hangers-on, and old and new friends - the novel
examines the roots of their dysfunction while Sidney plots the future
and works to make real her pursuit of music, inspired by the music of
Bob Dylan
With appeal to readers of the recent rash of women rocker bios - and
contemporary fiction of the heartland - the story looks with a fresh
perspective back to a distinct time and the experiences of a young woman
that will resonate with many adults.
