DEATH IN SUMMER

William Trevor's 1998 novel is set in contemporary rural England, where Thaddeus Davenant has just lost his wife, only a few months after the birth of their daughter. When Thaddeus interviews prospective nannies for the child, one of the girls is smitten with him, and her obsession leads her to threaten the family. It's a plot that might be described as a thriller, but Trevor's prose is entirely unlike that genre--it is spare, low-key, and deeply emotional, though never florid. It's a style well suited to Simon Prebble, whose restrained delivery and nuanced voices don't overpower the writing. Rather than forcing an interpretation on Trevor's characters, he allows them to speak for themselves. D.B. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 01]