The Chorus Beneath Our Feet by Melanie Schnell

The Chorus Beneath Our Feet by Melanie Schnell is a lyrical novel, filled with beautiful language that gently pries apart the tendrils of two wounded hearts. In a hymn to the natural world, Mary, a selective mute and one of two main characters, writes the following:

This is what the earth does. Each year what lies beneath gently pulses upward by another millimetre, another centimetre. Ever so slowly the secrets push upward. And after a million years, then thousands, then hundreds of years, it becomes this year, this day, and what has been so long buried finally faces the sun’s scorch. We must bear witness to the chorus beneath our feet, in all its entangled darkness and light.

Mary’s brother Jess has just returned to his hometown after serving eight years in the military in Afghanistan. His sight has been compromised by an injury, and he brings with him the body of his close friend, a fallen soldier. Shortly after his arrival, Jess discovers that his sister has likely succumbed to mental illness, is now on the streets and has been seen living in a tree in the town park. Determined to locate her, he follows a strange trail of sightings and notes. Both siblings have been damaged by the untimely death of their mother and the abuses of their alcoholic father. The layered narrative delicately reveals aspects of their painful childhood.

In one of several carefully integrated storylines, we discover that Mary has become fascinated with tales of the Barnardo Home Boys and how these vulnerable children immigrated to Canada from Britain during the period 1860-1948. While it was believed that they would be adopted into caring families, the reality was that many were utilized as free farm labour and were treated quite badly. Mary is a biophile who has long had an attachment to trees and believes that they speak to her. A large tree in the town park is about to be cut down for development, but Mary has listened to the tree’s story and believes that two Barnardo children have been secretly buried among its roots.

In one of several carefully integrated storylines, we discover that Mary has become fascinated with tales of the Barnardo Home Boys and how these vulnerable children immigrated to Canada from Britain during the period 1860-1948.

Jess searches for Mary and becomes increasingly frantic when he learns that a murder has taken place in the park and that she is in danger. There is both tension and mystery as Schnell pulls together the many pieces in this immersive tale. Rich characterization, the importance of environmentalism, an acknowledgement of the reality of PTSD, homelessness and mental illness are balanced by means of careful intentionality and sensitivity.

As events unfold, painful histories and secrets are exposed and yet each aspect of the complex story come together in ways that demonstrate deep bonds of friendship and love. Schnell does not invoke closure so much as invite readers to imagine their own coda for Jess and Mary in this remarkable novel. Highly recommended.

Melanie Schnell’s novel, While the Sun is Above Us, was shortlisted for The Fiction Award and Book of the Year award and won the Saskatchewan First Book Award and The City of Regina Award in 2013. The novel has been listed as part of the ELA A30 curriculum in both Public and Catholic schools across Saskatchewan. Melanie has published long and short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Her fiction placed second in the City of Regina Awards in 2010 and 2017. She is currently Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Regina. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Publisher: Radiant Press (October 14, 2025)
Paperback 8″ x 6″ | 332 pages
ISBN: 9781998926329

Lucy E. M. Black

Website

Lucy E.M. Black (she/her/hers) is the author of The Marzipan Fruit Basket, Eleanor Courtown, Stella’s Carpet, The Brickworks and Class Lessons: Stories of Vulnerable Youth. A Quilting of Scars will be released October 2025. Her award-winning short stories have been published in Britain, Ireland, USA and Canada. She is a dynamic workshop presenter, experienced interviewer and freelance writer. She lives with her partner in the small lakeside town of Port Perry, Ontario, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island, First Nations.