Song So Wild and Blue: A Life with the Music of Joni Mitchell

Novelist Lisicky (Later) delivers a passionate if meandering memoir about Joni Mitchell’s influence on his life and art. When Lisicky sang “Both Sides Now” in his fourth grade New Jersey chorus, he was struck by the juxtaposition of the melancholy lyrics and sunny melody. Already taking piano lessons, Lisicky soon picked up guitar and started to write his own songs, entranced by Mitchell’s vividness. Whenever he tried to write like her, however, “it sounded like an outtake, descriptions and guitar chords untested by life experience.” Instead, Lisicky began writing fiction, using Mitchell’s raw emotionality as a touchstone as he enrolled in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and drafted his first novels; interspersed throughout the account are imaginings of how Mitchell might have responded to certain events in her life, including her return to the stage at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. Regarding his own work, Lisicky writes that he “wanted to give to others what Joni had given to me,” but he falls short of that lofty goal here—the book manages mostly familiar insights into Mitchell’s artistry and struggles to maintain a narrative throughline. Still, the musician’s most devoted fans will enjoy this tribute from a fellow admirer. Agent: Matt McGowan, Frances Goldin Literary. (Feb.)