In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Ross McMeekin’s novel Pepperleaf offers sharp perspective on modern suburban life.
Liz Kellebrew wrote of the book:
“Master storyteller Ross McMeekin opens a window onto the intersecting lives of the residents of Pepperleaf. In this sharp-eyed, witty, and poignant tale, a motley cast of characters discovers they can all become more than they thought possible as life breaks them out and open. True to its Pacific Northwest setting and to the human condition, Pepperleaf is a literary delight.”
In his own words, here is Ross McMeekin’s Book Notes music playlist for his novel Pepperleaf:
Melody Paired with Harmony
I often listen to music when I write, and for my longer pieces, I make playlists, which I return to over and over as I go along. Instrumental music can create an atmosphere which shades the written action and dialogue towards a specific purpose. Lyrics can provide language to reveal and shape the internal desires and aversions of the characters. A character’s own music preferences can show indirectly not just who they are, but what they’re going through. The music and writing are in conversation. They’re conversation partners. One influences the other.
My novel Pepperleaf takes place in a wooded suburb of Seattle, told from the perspective of five of its inhabitants. Alongside those five are dozens of others who make an appearance, some only once and others regularly. Often suburbs are depicted as homogenous, when in my experience, some are far from it, like the eponymous suburb of this novel. The characters of Pepperleaf are diverse in term of age, sex, ethnicity, religion, and personality. Because of that, I felt it made sense to make a playlist that might sound a bit disorganized and chaotic at first, but holds together when paired with the book, like how a melody is paired with a harmony.
“Reflections in the Park” by Gary McFarland Orchestra
This first track could accompany the opening section of the book as well as the opening credits of a whimsical 60s suburban drama. The light, understated touch of McFarland on vibraphone lends a cool, bubbly chatter, while the laid-back woodwinds and flutes make the affair feel casual—with a catch. There’s something slightly askew throughout the song; there’s a sense of slant anticipation, as if it’s expressing that although things are swell now, perhaps drama is to come.
There’s also a sense—which in a way “Reflections in the Park” expresses through music—that life in a place like Pepperleaf should always be happy, charming, and contented, and that everyone should act like it is. This of course can feel oppressive to some, perhaps to many, because, well, it’s not at all perfect. For Daphne Summers, the heroine of the novel, the story begins at an idyllic private beach club that, for her, has begun to change into a low-key hell filled with smiles.
“Earn Enough for Us” by XTC
Speaking of smiles, many power pop songs contrast bright, catchy music with dark, sad lyrics, which sometimes has the sonic effect of a fake smile with teeth grinding underneath. XTC’s “Earn Enough for Us” uses that same contrast. The instrumental parts of the band seem almost triumphant in their driving energy and pop-iness, but the lyrics tell a different story: So you’re saying that we’re gonna be three / now a father’s what I’ll be / don’t get me wrong I’m so proud / but the belts are really tight / I’ll get another job at night. As the title suggests, the song is about trying to make ends meet as familial responsibilities pile up. In the novel, this situation is true for three of the main characters of the novel, including Pete Summers, a married father of two who manages his own construction company.
“The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” by Modest Mussogorski
Early in the book, we find that Daphne has been playing classical music during dinner in an attempt to chill out her young children and inspire more dignified behavior. This is one of the many techniques commonly taught to parents of young children, each discussing how to get your kids to do something they don’t want to do. But in parents there’s also the fear that trying to make them into young bodhisattvas with good table manners will cause psychological problems later on. Can one create a balance? Find a way to nurture someone’s better nature without harming it? Mussogorski’s wonderfully named classic answers no. What awaits Daphne is yet another dinner-time disaster.
“Hello” by Adele
It goes without saying that people listen to music for different reasons. For instance, someone who only listens to Jimmy Buffett albums (like one of my freshman year college roommates—seriously, that’s all he listened to) is interesting because they might be overwhelmed with the complexity of their new undergrad life and take every opportunity to escape to Margaritaville. Or perhaps there’s a mid-life suburban dad who secretly listens to emotional Gen Z pop like Khalid turned up loud in his car on the evening commute—could he be amidst a mid-life crisis? No judgment, most of us have been there or will visit soon enough.
It’s mentioned that Mona Chen, a thirty-something hardware and grocery store clerk who also goes to community college part time, listens to Adele because it makes her life feel more dramatic. I could imagine her sitting in her car in the parking lot of the grocery story listening to Adele’s epic song, “Hello”. Hello, can you hear me? / I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be / When we were younger and free. Mona is depressed and struggling to feel emotions, having lost her innocence of youth and now fully facing the realities of the modern world as an adult. Adele can, if only for a few moments, bring her to feel the loss of what used to be given.
“Running with the Devil” by Van Halen
The defiant opening line to this hair metal classic states, I live my life like there’s / no tomorrow. Teddy Nguyen, a 30-something electronics store employee who’s obsessed with anthropomorphic animals, takes this song and sentiment to heart. Where many of the characters in Pepperleaf are weighed down by responsibility, Teddy has chosen a life without guardrails. And not surprisingly, he has a soft spot in his heart for 80s metal. In the book he’s mentioned as having a good David Lee Roth animal howl—Roth being the mercurial lead singer of Van Halen—of which I’m jealous. His howl is a freak of nature, few can emulate it, so alas, nearly all except Teddy will have to settle on donning a pair of Diamond Dave’s signature spandex pants.
“Queen of the Silver Dollar” by Emmylou Harris
Most people associate the Pacific Northwest with evergreen trees, moss, rain, clouds, and moody rock music. East of the Cascade Mountains, however, is a completely different climate, with the rolling wheat-covered hills of the Palouse and dry scrublands below rocky plateaus carved out by the retreat of the ice age. The irrigated farmlands of Eastern Washington stereotypically skew less toward indie rock and more toward country music. Enter Emmylou. When retirement-age Don Bock and Clyde Holmes take a road trip from Pepperleaf, over the mountains to fictional Vailsburg to pick up a pelt to taxidermy, they visit a pub where the classic “Queen of the Silver Dollar”—performed by Emmylou Harris—is playing on the speakers. The song has one of my favorite chorus lines: I’m the queen of the silver dollar / I rule the smoky kingdom / my scepter is a wine glass / and a bar stool is my throne. The song is of Don’s era, and I suspect it’s a favorite of his, too.
“Judy” – Pernice Brothers
What’s it like to spend quiet, ordinary times with a loved one who only has a short while to live? One of the characters in the novel receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, and I purposefully wrote less about their bucket-list adventures after the diagnosis than the mundane times in between. This song, which is a favorite of mine, captures some of those same feelings. Tonight is long / the television’s on / so soft, so low. And, a bit later: So let’s pretend / our lives will never end / somehow, someway.
The musical accompaniment is pretty, meditative, and gentle. It evokes the sense that being at home watching television late at night with a loved one can sometimes feel fraught with soft emotion, more so than, say, traveling to the Grand Canyon for the first time to watch the sunset. The Grand Canyon is not a normal sight or atmosphere—it’s new—so only a handful of memories are created there, and after the vacation, the Grand Canyon isn’t there to remind you every day of what happened. A living room is filled with the accumulation of years of memories, and to not have your loved one with you in the room can be more painful—and powerful—because of it.
Ross McMeekin is author of the novel Pepperleaf, out in May 2026 from Thirty West Publishing House, as well as a recent story collection, Below the Falls (Thirty West, 2024) and a novel, The Hummingbirds (Skyhorse, 2018). His short fiction has appeared in publications such as Virginia Quarterly Review, Vol.1 Brooklyn, Shenandoah, and Redivider. He’s a recipient of writing fellowships from Hugo House and Jack Straw Cultural Center in Seattle.
Author website: www.rossmcmeekin.com