WOLF HOLLOW

Narrator Emily Rankin brings us into the world of 11-year-old Annabelle. Her voice is soft and gentle, reflecting Annabelle’s tranquil life on a quiet Pennsylvania farm during WWII—that is, until Rankin contrasts Annabelle’s thoughtful tone with the menace in the voice of Betty Glengarry, a bully. Rankin registers Annabelle’s fear of Betty’s increasing mockery, lies, and threats. Annabelle’s reactions to Betty echo her discomfort with the larger world, which seems to be dissolving her innocence as prejudice and cruelty overtake her rural town. Rankin’s precise tone also gives a sense of the calmness of Annabelle’s mother, the narrow-mindedness of Annabelle’s snippy aunt, and the reticence of a kindly WWI veteran. Rankin’s shifting voice captures the growing ugliness in Annabelle’s formerly idyllic town and her determination to take a stand against it. S.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2016]