Holly Brickley’s debut novel, Deep Cuts, orchestrates a unique narrative that explores the complexities of artistic collaboration, unrequited passion, and finding one’s authentic voice. Set against the backdrop of the American independent music scene from 2000 to 2008, this coming-of-age story follows Percy Marks, a music-obsessed college student with strong opinions but no musical talent of her own, and Joe Morrow, a gifted songwriter who recognizes something special in Percy’s critical ear.
The novel takes its name from Percy’s metaphorical question about music: “How deep does it cut? How close to the bone? How long do you feel it?” This becomes both the core philosophy guiding Percy’s approach to music criticism and the measuring stick for her own life experiences. Through Brickley’s rich, emotionally resonant prose, we witness the evolution of a creative partnership that transforms both characters in unexpected ways.
The Harmony and Dissonance of Creative Partnerships
At the heart of Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley lies the magnetic, volatile relationship between Percy and Joe. Their initial meeting in a Berkeley bar in 2000 strikes an immediate chord when Joe asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs. What follows is a decade-spanning partnership marked by artistic breakthroughs, painful betrayals, and the constant push and pull of two creative souls seeking to define themselves both together and apart.
Brickley brilliantly captures the unique dynamic of artistic collaboration. Percy’s brutal honesty and critical ear push Joe to elevate his songwriting, while Joe’s talent gives Percy a vicarious taste of musical creation she desperately craves. Their relationship exists in that messy, beautiful space where admiration, envy, attraction, and resentment all collide:
“I stared at the remnants of beer foam clinging to my glass and thought about his metaphor: a relationship as a perfect track. There was something delicious about it, the way he’d made my little take on a pop song so emotional, so very real-world. I nursed it like a hard candy.”
This relationship defies easy categorization. It’s not just a romance, though romantic and sexual tension constantly simmer beneath the surface. It’s not just a professional partnership, though it produces tangible creative works. Instead, it’s a complex interdependence that both nurtures and frustrates their individual creative journeys.
The Bittersweet Symphony of Finding One’s Voice
Percy’s evolution forms the emotional core of the novel. Initially defined by her opinions about others’ art rather than creating her own, she gradually discovers her own creative voice through her collaborations, her blog “Walgreens Songs,” and eventually, songwriting.
Percy’s journey resonates because it speaks to universal questions about creativity and identity: Are we defined by what we create or by what we appreciate? Is a critical ear a talent in its own right? Where is the line between collaboration and exploitation? Brickley never offers easy answers to these questions, instead letting Percy wrestle with them over time.
One of the novel’s strengths is how Brickley captures Percy’s constant struggle with imposter syndrome, particularly in a male-dominated industry that often dismisses women’s contributions. When Joe fails to credit Percy for her contribution to “Bay Window,” it becomes more than a personal betrayal—it represents how women’s creative work is frequently diminished or erased.
Through Percy’s eyes, we experience the thrill of watching an audience react to a song she helped create, even as her name remains absent from the credits:
“That audience had loved our song. Loved it. My bridge had been perfect. My bridge! Was it possible it could be a second single?”
Pitch-Perfect Cultural Context
Brickley displays remarkable skill in her evocation of the American indie music scene of the early 2000s. From the record store snobbery of Amoeba Music to Brooklyn warehouse shows and San Francisco’s Soul Night, the novel provides an authentic snapshot of a pivotal period in music culture.
The timeline anchors us through cultural touchstones—9/11, the rise of hipster culture, the 2008 financial crisis, Obama’s election—while the musical references create a rich soundtrack: Neutral Milk Hotel, PJ Harvey, LCD Soundsystem, and countless others whose songs become characters in their own right.
What distinguishes Deep Cuts from other novels about music is Holly Brickley’s profound understanding of how songs function in our lives—not just as entertainment, but as emotional landmarks and identity markers. When Percy reflects on a song’s ability to transport her, we understand completely:
“I could live on the way that music made me feel, its endless unfurling of emotion and possibility, like a private magic carpet I could ride into my future.”
The Supporting Cast: Adding Depth and Resonance
The novel’s secondary characters provide essential counterpoints to Percy and Joe’s dynamic. Zoe Gutierrez, Joe’s girlfriend-turned-ex who later comes out as a lesbian, becomes Percy’s most enduring relationship. Their friendship offers Percy stability while challenging her to examine her own biases and blind spots.
Raj, Percy’s boyfriend in New York, represents the kind of healthy relationship Percy might have if she could let go of Joe. His cutting email after Percy’s betrayal delivers one of the novel’s most painful truths: “You’re obsessive about inconsequential things, like song lyrics, and dismissive of things that matter, like food and sleep and other people’s feelings.”
Percy’s mother, with her classical music background and complicated relationship to her own talents, provides insight into Percy’s insecurities. Their conversations reveal generational patterns and the ways women’s creative ambitions have historically been constrained.
Critique: Occasional Flat Notes
While Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley resonates with authenticity throughout most of its pages, there are moments where Percy’s character development feels slightly uneven. Her sudden decision to walk out on Joe after sleeping with him at the wedding feels abrupt, given her years of longing. Similarly, her transition from music critic to songwriter sometimes happens too smoothly, without enough of the false starts and failures that would typically accompany such a shift.
The novel’s episodic, city-hopping structure occasionally creates narrative gaps where important character development happens off-page. The reader sometimes has to fill in these gaps, particularly regarding Percy’s evolving career and emotional growth between locations.
Additionally, while the musical references enhance the novel’s authenticity, their density might create accessibility barriers for readers less familiar with indie rock of the early 2000s. However, this same specificity will delight readers who recognize these cultural touchstones.
Final Chorus: An Impressive Debut
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley is that rare novel that captures the essence of a creative life—messy, exhilarating, painful, and ultimately transformative. Brickley writes with the assurance of a seasoned novelist, balancing emotional vulnerability with sharp cultural observation. Her prose moves fluidly between conversational banter and moments of lyrical beauty that reflect Percy’s evolving relationship with music and herself.
For readers who loved Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six or Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, Deep Cuts offers similar pleasures while charting its own distinctive course. It’s a love letter to music, a clear-eyed examination of creative partnership, and a compelling portrait of a young woman finding her voice in a world that often tries to silence it.
In the end, Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley asks us to consider how we define success in creative pursuits. Is it commercial recognition? Critical acclaim? Or simply the joy and meaning we find in the process itself? Percy and Joe’s journey suggests that the answer, like the most memorable songs, contains both harmony and dissonance—and is all the more powerful for embracing both.
Strengths:
- Authentic depiction of music culture in the early 2000s
- Complex, evolving relationship between the main characters
- Strong, distinctive voice that captures Percy’s growth
- Nuanced exploration of artistic collaboration
Weaknesses:
- Some uneven character development
- Occasional narrative gaps between episodes
- Dense musical references might challenge some readers
Deep Cuts announces Holly Brickley as a formidable new literary voice. Her debut hits all the right notes, crafting a story as unforgettable as the songs it celebrates.