THE SUNKEN CATHEDRAL

Author Kate Walbert narrates the story of many denizens of New York City whose lives intersect in various ways. For such a varied cast of characters, Walbert's narration is too monotone and detached. She does little to vocally distinguish her characters in dialogue. Furthermore, she rarely infuses the story with any of the yearning and regret that fill her characters' inner lives. As the story shifts abruptly between the present and the past, Walbert makes use of lengthy footnotes. These do not transition well to the audio format as they're jarring and disorienting. Readers should seek out this novel in print. E.M.C © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2015]