IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

James Baldwin convincingly writes from the perspective of a teenaged girl, and narrator Bahni Turpin’s delivery heightens the raw power of his storytelling. Portraying the anguish and transcendence of adolescent love, Turpin brings 19-year-old Tish to life, capturing all her pain and hope with edginess and unflagging energy. In actuality, Turpin offers two distinctly separate performances—that of the story’s narrator and that of the protagonist. Although both roles are tied together through Baldwin’s use of first-person narration, Turpin differentiates between the narrative and the character’s dialogue and actions through a masterful variety of tones and inflections. The result lifts Tish from the static page and brings her into the room. N.J.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2016]