Incidental Music visits the troubled and fascinating period of the Hungarian Revolution, within its larger context of the Communist post-war years in Eastern Europe, explores Toronto’s heritage and urban development, takes a sober outsider view of Canadian society and politics, and last, but not least, revels in the beauty of the opera—all through the tumultuous and passionate love affairs of its main characters. The lives of the three protagonists overlap, but there is never any unison. Petra, Martha and Romola are like the three operatic voices—soprano, mezzo and alto—that sometimes pair up their melodic lines but never sing in complete accord.

Lydia Perovi? is an arts journalist and freelance writer living in Toronto. She's written for n+1, The Believer, The Awl, the Globe and Mail, Opera Canada, C Magazine, Xtra!, Literary Mothers, and openDemocracy.org among others. Her first work of fiction, Incidental Music, was a Lambda Literary Foundation Award finalist for debut fiction in 2013. She blogs about opera on Definitely the Opera.

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• Short-listed, Lambda Literary Award