THE BEGINNER'S GOODBYE

A new novel by Anne Tyler is always a reason to celebrate. As always, her exploration of everyday tragedy and the way people learn to cope with loss is, at times, comic, wise, and heartbreaking. Narrator Kirby Heyborne inhabits the forlorn Aaron and his dead wife, Dorothy, with a searing depiction of middle-class America and the drama of how a single random act can change everything. Heyborne’s pacing of the dialogue between the main characters is realistic and emotionally engaging. The pain of Aaron’s grief penetrates Heyborne’s performance. The novel imparts the wisdom we all gain through loss, and Heyborne’s narration resonates with the listener long after the last words are spoken. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]