It’s my pleasure to share this feature for The Sound of Violet with you today. The book, by Allen Wolf, was released in September 2021 and the movie, which was written, directed and produced by the author, is available to watch on all the usual platforms.
Based on the acclaimed novel, Shawn is desperate to find a wife, and goes on one awkward date after another until he meets Violet. He thinks she’s his soulmate, but his autism and trusting nature keep him from realizing she’s actually a prostitute.
Violet realizes something is different about Shawn, and it’s not just because he has a condition that allows him to “hear” colors. Shawn thinks he’s found a potential wife, while Violet thinks she’s found her ticket out of her own trapped life.
Extract from Chapter 3
Shawn stood on the curb in front of a large warehouse where techno music boomed. The Manhattan Bridge stretched overhead with the city as its jeweled backdrop. Men and women dressed as 1970s pimps and hos mingled and laughed as they passed by Shawn to line up at the warehouse entrance. A burly man dressed from head to toe in black leather took passes at the door and unhitched the velvet rope to allow people inside.
Dressed in a ruby smoking jacket and velvet pajamas, Shawn shifted his weight from one leg to the other, doing his best to look comfortable but failing miserably.
“What’s up, bro?” Shawn turned to see Colin dressed in a shimmery gold suit, white platform shoes, giant glasses, and a feathered hat.
“This is a pimps and hos party. Why are you dressed like Elton John?” Shawn asked.
Colin looked over his outfit, nodding. “I should’ve asked myself in the mirror.” He shrugged and pointed to Shawn’s outfit. “And you are…”
“Hugh Hefner. He was the ultimate pimp.” Shawn beamed proudly. “I read that online.” “Surprised Grandma didn’t give you a hard time.”
“She made me swear on the Bible.”
“Typical. You get away with a lot more than I did when I lived there,” Colin said.
They strolled toward the warehouse. “Not really,” Shawn said as he put in earplugs. “I’m just not as obvious as you were.”
Shawn and Colin made it past the velvet rope and pushed their way through the crush of colorful pimps and hos who mingled around the warehouse, shouting to be heard above the music. The women wore a range of styles, from tight miniskirts to barely anything at all, complemented with fishnet or torn stockings, stilettos, or thigh-high boots. The men were dressed in colorful suits with bell-bottom pants, some donning oversized Afro wigs. One of the men kept his ‘hos’ on a studded leash, which Shawn found disturbing.
“I need to hit the restroom,” Colin said. “I’ll meet you back here.”
Shawn nodded and watched Colin wedge into the crowd. He scoped the room and noticed a woman in a polka dot mini skirt and beaded wig sipping her drink nearby. This was his chance. He made his way over to her. “I sure hope we don’t have to ration gas,” Shawn said.
“Excuse me?” the woman asked with a confused look on her face.
“That’s what America had to do when OPEC embargoed oil in 1973. Then we had to do it again after the Iranian Revolution.” Shawn wiped his forehead. It suddenly felt scorching hot, and butterflies were partying in his stomach.
The woman’s face tightened as her eyes focused on Shawn. “I need a refill.” She strode away with a completely full drinking glass. If she realized most people at this party are in 1970s costumes, she would’ve appreciated my geopolitical references.
A tall blond woman who reminded Shawn of a grown-up version of a Barbie doll stood hunched over a few feet away, texting on her phone. Here’s my chance. Shawn got close enough so she’d notice him.
“You have to hold your phone directly in front of your face when you’re texting,” Shawn said. “You’re talking to me?” Barbie asked.
Nodding, Shawn motioned to her phone. “Text neck. It’s a thing that happens when people lean over to use their phones. It causes too much strain.”
The woman raised her eyebrows. “Never heard of text neck.”
“It’s a thing.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I’ve been to many of them.”
Barbie pointed across the room. “I gotta meet up with someone.”
Shawn came very close to asking her if his name was Ken, but he resisted. “I can go with you.”
“We need to talk in private. Sorry. It’s a thing.”
Shawn stepped back and pulled at his collar. “Of course. Go ahead. No big deal.”
Allen Wolf explains how he came up with the story for The Sound of Violet?
A friend and I were laughing about the challenges of navigating the dating world in Los Angeles years ago. Even though I was married, those days were still vivid in my mind. Those conversations inspired me to write The Sound of Violet about two dating-challenged people from entirely different walks of life who are the opposite of each other in significant ways. The woman is paid to be with men and has a skewed view of love. The man is autistic and struggles with forming relationships as well as physical touch. And he has his own idealistic view of relationships. I thought bringing those two together would make a fascinating and dynamic story and could teach us something about love.
I can relate to Shawn’s dating journey because it reflects some of my own journey when I was a single man in Los Angeles. Even though I’m not on the autism spectrum, I struggled with many of my main character’s issues, such as meaningfully connecting with women, being naïve in relationships, and struggling with building intimacy. The woman he falls in love with works as a prostitute, which he doesn’t realize. I thought she would be a vivid contrast with Shawn, who has a faith background and saved himself for marriage. He resists touching because it’s too intense for him, while she’s forced to touch others. I thought that would make a compelling story.
Allen Wolf has won multiple awards as an author and filmmaker. He is also the host of the popular Navigating Hollywood podcast where he interviews film and TV professionals about what it takes to thrive in entertainment.
He married his Persian princess, and they are raising their kids in Los Angeles. Allen loves traveling around the world and hearing people’s life stories. He is an avid fan of Disneyland. Allen wrote, directed, and produced the feature film adaption of The Sound of Violet, which is now available on Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, Blu-ray, or DVD.
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I’ve never heard of the book or movie before. Thanks for sharing
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Well, goodness, not like we haven’t had stories of this nature before, but the movie trailer looks interesting, almost sad. I’ll check it out expecting a pretty woman ending.
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I’ve only read one book with a similar theme but I’m sure there are more around.
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