ANCIENT LIGHT

Narrator Robin Sachs's deep, gravelly voice perfectly complements the internal thoughts of the protagonist of this introspective novel, aging stage actor Alex Cleave. The story takes place entirely in Alex's mind as he attempts to write his memoirs in order to better understand his fifteenth summer and his affair with his best friend's mother and to come to terms with his daughter's suicide and its effect on his wife and marriage. In the present, the actor has been tapped for his first movie role, which has surprising connections to his past. Sachs projects Alex's melancholy with a nostalgic air, helping listeners build empathy. He skillfully expresses the gamut of Alex's emotions, from teenage lust to midlife uncertainty and the beginning of inner peace. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2012]