In her debut novel Deep Cuts, Holly Brickley orchestrates a compelling narrative that explores the intricate relationship between talent, obsession, and collaboration. Set against the backdrop of the early 2000s indie music scene, the story follows Percy Marks, a young woman with an encyclopedic knowledge of music but no ability to create it herself, and Joe Morrow, a talented songwriter whose artistic journey becomes inextricably linked with Percy’s critical ear.
Brickley’s prose, much like a well-crafted song, finds its rhythm early and maintains it throughout. The novel pulses with authentic dialogue and vivid imagery that transports readers to smoky Berkeley bars, cramped New York apartments, and the electric atmosphere of San Francisco dance floors. What emerges is a deeply human story about two people trying to find their voices—both together and apart.
Harmonizing Character Development
The heart of Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley lies in its complex, flawed protagonists. Percy Marks is an immediately recognizable type: the music nerd who can dissect a song’s worth with surgical precision but harbors a deep insecurity about her own creative potential. Her character arc is masterfully crafted, moving from a young woman who defines herself through others’ talents to someone who gradually discovers her own unique contribution to the artistic process.
“I don’t get red A-pluses in the corners of my papers. I don’t get proud parents. This is all I get.”
Joe Morrow serves as Percy’s perfect counterpoint—talented but undisciplined, capable of brilliance but prone to self-sabotage. Their relationship evolves from a purely creative collaboration to something more complicated, mirroring the messy ways in which art and life often become entangled.
Supporting characters like Zoe Gutierrez, Percy’s best friend and Joe’s ex-girlfriend, add depth to the narrative. Zoe’s journey of self-discovery provides an important parallel to Percy’s story, highlighting different paths to finding one’s authentic self.
Perfect Track vs. Perfect Song: The Novel’s Core Themes
Brickley skillfully weaves several compelling themes throughout the narrative:
- Collaboration vs. Independence: The push-pull between creative partnership and individual expression forms the novel’s backbone. Percy and Joe’s collaborative process produces beautiful results, but it also creates a complicated power dynamic that threatens their personal growth.
- Validation and Recognition: Both protagonists grapple with the desire for recognition, though in different ways. Percy longs to be acknowledged as more than just Joe’s sounding board, while Joe struggles with the compromises success demands.
- Evolution and Growth: The novel spans eight pivotal years (2000-2008), tracking not just the characters’ personal development but also the seismic shifts in the music industry and American culture during this period.
- Finding One’s Voice: Perhaps most powerfully, Brickley explores what it means to find one’s authentic voice in a world that constantly attempts to categorize and limit artistic expression.
Pitch-Perfect Setting and Timeline
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its evocative rendering of the early 2000s indie music scene. Brickley demonstrates remarkable expertise in capturing this cultural moment, from the college radio favorites of 2000 to the emergence of blog culture and the beginnings of social media’s influence on music discovery.
The timeline serves as more than just backdrop; it actively shapes the characters’ journeys:
- Percy and Joe’s Berkeley days coincide with the last gasp of the pre-digital music industry
- Percy’s New York period reflects post-9/11 anxiety and artistic response
- The San Francisco sections capture the Bay Area’s unique blend of tech optimism and artistic bohemianism
- The novel concludes as the 2008 financial crisis ushers in yet another cultural shift
Music references throughout the book function as both emotional shorthand and temporal markers, creating a soundtrack that enhances the reading experience without overwhelming it.
Tempo and Structure: A Few Missed Beats
While Brickley’s writing shines in many aspects, the novel occasionally struggles with pacing. The early sections in Berkeley unfold at a measured tempo that allows us to fully understand Percy and Joe’s formative relationship. However, the middle sections—particularly Percy’s time in New York and early San Francisco days—sometimes accelerate too quickly, glossing over potentially rich material.
The novel’s structure, with chapters named after songs, is conceptually sound but occasionally feels more clever than necessary. Some sections could have been tightened without losing impact, particularly around Percy’s trendsetting job, which sometimes diverts focus from the core relationship drama.
Bridge and Hook: The Novel’s Emotional Resonance
Where Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley truly excels is in its emotional authenticity. Brickley captures the particular agony of creative people who can recognize greatness but struggle to produce it themselves. Percy’s feelings of inadequacy alongside her pride in contribution will resonate with anyone who has ever worked in a creative field.
The romantic elements of the story avoid cliché through their specificity. Joe and Percy’s connection isn’t just physical attraction or even shared interests—it’s the rare experience of finding someone who understands your creative process, who challenges you to be better, who makes your work sing. That particular intimacy feels fresh and true.
Comparative Tracks: Literary Context
As a debut novel, Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley stands impressively on its own while showing the influence of contemporary fiction that explores creative partnerships and artistic development. Readers who enjoyed the music industry setting of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six will appreciate Brickley’s more grounded take on creative collaboration.
The novel also brings to mind Rachel Kushner’s The Flamethrowers in its exploration of a woman finding her place in a male-dominated artistic scene, though Brickley’s approach is more intimate and less sweeping. Fans of Sally Rooney’s complex relationship dynamics would find much to appreciate in Percy and Joe’s push-pull dynamic.
Critical Notes: Where the Album Skips
Despite its many strengths, Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley is not without flaws:
- Underexplored Threads: Some promising narrative elements—like Percy’s relationship with her mother—are introduced with depth but then fade into the background without full resolution.
- Trendsetting Tangent: Percy’s career in trend research, while providing interesting cultural commentary, sometimes feels disconnected from the main emotional arc of the story.
- Skewed Perspective: While Percy’s limited understanding of her own value makes sense characterologically, readers might occasionally wish for more external validation of her talents beyond Joe’s acknowledgment.
- Resolution Rush: The final chapters move somewhat hastily toward conclusion, requiring readers to fill in emotional gaps that might have benefited from more explicit development.
Final Chord: Overall Assessment
Despite these minor critiques, Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley achieves something remarkable: it makes the internal processes of creativity and collaboration tangible and dramatic. Brickley writes about music with the precision and passion of someone who intimately understands its power, but the novel’s appeal extends far beyond music enthusiasts.
At its core, this is a story about finding one’s place in the creative ecosystem—recognizing that not everyone can be the star performer, but that other roles (critic, collaborator, curator) have their own unique value. It’s about the people who help us become who we are, even when that relationship is complicated by envy, attraction, and ambition.
Holly Brickley has written a debut novel that deserves to be read not just by music lovers but by anyone interested in the messy, beautiful process of artistic creation and self-discovery. Like a perfect album, Deep Cuts rewards repeat engagement, revealing new layers with each encounter.
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley strikes a compelling balance between accessibility and depth, creating characters whose creative struggles feel universally relatable while remaining specifically drawn. The novel’s firmly established sense of time and place, combined with its insightful exploration of artistic collaboration, marks Brickley as a promising literary voice. While some narrative elements could be more fully realized, the emotional core of the story resonates long after the final page.
For readers who have ever obsessed over a song, envied someone else’s talent, or struggled to define their own creative contribution to the world, Deep Cuts offers both recognition and hope—a reminder that finding one’s voice is rarely a solo endeavor, but rather the result of many influences, challenges, and connections along the way.
