Fire on All Sides

James Rhodes

Quercus ISBN 978-1-78648-242-6 265pp (hb) £13.99 rrp

James Rhodes is a self-confessed over sharer. His latest book – hot on the heels of the much-publicised memoir Instrumental, which has become immortalised in case law after Rhodes’s first ex-wife tried to prevent its publication – is an extension of the pianist’s popular online presence. Fire on All Sides is an embellished tour journal that Rhodes kept during Augustdecember 2016. It accompanies a CD of the same name, which features works from the tour. In an age of ‘curated content’ this is nothing short of brilliant; the journal acts as detailed liner notes and helps the listener engage with the music in a very personal way.

That said, the book is not an easy read. Each chapter begins with Rhodes’s deconstruction of a self-help affirmation and details the manifestations of his mental illnesses in horrifying detail. The reasons behind Rhodes’s on-going personal torment are tragic: child rape and the hideous physical and psychological ruin that ensues. It is an itchy, uncomfortable and compelling read – an important story that deserves to be told. I just hope that the right health professionals are listening to it, as well as Rhodes’s fans. Claire Jackson ★★★