Dennis Boutsikaris executes this production with a matter-of-fact tone that works to emphasize the surrealism that permeates Perrotta’s novel. In a single day, a Rapture-like event has occurred, and those who remain on earth are left to battle the daily challenges of life (bills, school, health, etc.) despite the impact of the large-scale loss. Through several points of view, the novel traces the lives of several citizens of Mapleton and how they attempt to return to normalcy. Boutsikaris does well providing a straight vocal rendering of the details of Perrotta’s world while amply delivering emotional resonance and energy when portraying the characters’ states of mind. He keeps his voices and tones straight despite the shifting of perspective from chapter to chapter. L.E. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
“Tracy never went away. So yes, you can say I’m bringing her back, but the culture kept her in circulation in a way that was really interesting to me, and at times a little alienating. It’s like you create a character and, suddenly, she’s played brilliantly by Reese Witherspoon, and in a sense, that becomes […]
So you’re headed off to college in the fall. Congratulations! It’s going to be both a lot of work and a tremendous karmic shift! You’ll be on your own, and also living in a very small dormitory room with a person who is, in all likelihood, a complete stranger. Regardless, books are both an escape […]
For reading your way through the dog days of summer, August brings us a fabulous collection of character studies. Among them are tales of female friendship, a psychologically fraught novel about father-daughter survivalists, and two juicy books about the writing life, from the perspective of a woman who believes she must write under a male […]
Between True Blood, Game of Thrones, and The Leftovers, HBO has officially established itself as the network where good books go to become great television—even if (as with George R.R. Martin’s series) it takes them a decade or two to get there. And now, a hit novel from the early aughts is headed to the […]
Believe it or not, summer is almost over. Even as you read this, students are shining apples (just kidding, they’re actually Snapchatting), and teachers are dusting off chalkboards, because the new school year is just around the corner. But as we all know, when it comes to education, the most important lessons aren’t always found in […]