CITY ON FIRE

Rebecca Lowman carries the largest part of the narration of this nearly forty-hour audiobook. And while Lowman obviously works tirelessly to infuse an emotional element into each of the characters, her great efforts cannot overcome the author's excesses, which leave the listener, at best, apathetic. Lowman accentuates Hallberg's elegant writing style, but even her meticulous use of inflection and tone can't prevent the story from being muddled in detail and development. Lowman's range and insight allow her to uniquely vocalize each character, but they're still, basically, unlikable. Tristan Morris and Bronson Pinchot offer equally strong performances; it's a shame they were wasted on this undeserving novel. J.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2015]