In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
V. E. Schwab’s latest novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is dark and wholly captivating.
LitHub wrote of the book:
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue made V.E. Schwab an international superstar but I tell you what: this book is even better.…Schwab doing messy sexy vampires is a dream come true…. It’s a novel bigger on the inside, a quality that’s another of Schwab’s many seemingly magical talents. It might be my favorite book of the year so far.”
In her own words, here is V. E. Schwab’s Book Notes music playlist for her novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil:
Music is the beating heart at the center of my work. I often tether characters to an artist, or a genre, and use melodies and scores to help maintain the tone and atmosphere for whatever I’m writing. Songs become as integral to storytelling as voice, or plot, or setting.
For my latest, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, instead of creating one playlist, I made three: one for each of the women whose lives and deaths—and what comes after—I wanted to capture.
ALICE – DRIVEN BY HER HEAD
Alice, eighteen, has her whole life ahead of her, until a one-night stand with a mysterious girl at a college house party ends with the girl gone, and Alice dead. What comes next is a story of anger, grief, and revenge.
The Main Song: “When I Was a Young Girl” – Feist
An unconventional pick, but there’s a fictional song buried inside Alice’s POV, one that sometimes haunts and sometimes grounds her, and it is based on the structure and mood of Feist’s iconic track. I will always find Alice tucked inside this beat.
The Rest of Her Playlist:
“Just a Girl” (cover) – Florence + the Machine
“Bad Idea Right?” – Olivia Rodrigo
“Breakfast” – Dove Cameron
“Vigilante Shit” – Taylor Swift
“Heaven Knows” – The Pretty Reckless
“Choke” – Royal and the Serpent
“Trouble” – Valerie Broussard
“Got It” – Marian Hill
CHARLOTTE – DRIVEN BY HER HEART
The story of the mysterious girl who slips into Alice’s bed—and ruins her life—spans nearly two centuries, and her soundtrack is a testament to not only the eras, but the emotion with which she experiences them. Alternating between upbeat and ballad, jaunt and melancholy.
The Main Song: “Notre Dame” – Paris Paloma
Paris Paloma’s voice is full of heart and has always struck me as so full of longing, a mix of pain and want. This song seems to come from the chest, a near hypnotic melody so full of heart, and the perfect track for a young woman who feels everything so strongly.
The Rest of Her Playlist:
“Eat Your Young” – Hozier
“Curse” – normal the kid
“The Hand that Feeds” – the Crane Wives
“Water Witch” – the Secret Sisters (feat Brandi Carlisle)
“Ship in a bottle” – fin
“Life in the City” – The Lumineers
“Steady as She Goes” – The Raconteurs
SABINE – DRIVEN BY HER HUNGER
Born into a town on a pilgrimage road in 16th century Spain, Sabine learns early that if she wants a better life, she’ll have to take her future into her own hands. And she will, no matter how many bodies she’ll need to leave in her wake.
The Main Song: “Madeline” – Kiki Rockwell
A song I played more than 750 times while writing Sabine’s section, this track not only sets the temp for the novel’s unapologetic villain, but strikes the perfect balance between darkness, romanticism, and empowerment I wanted for this book.
The Rest of Her Playlist:
“King” – Florence + the Machine
“Bartholomew” – The Silent Comedy
“Kill of the Night” – Gin Wigmore
“Left for Dead” – Kiki Rockwell
“Cradles” – Sub Urban
“Season of the Witch” – Lana del Rey
VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is currently in the works at Netflix with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist Productions producing. When she’s not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.