COMMONWEALTH

Hope Davis is an outstanding narrator, and many will enjoy her interpretation of Ann Patchett's expansive new novel, based on her own life. An affair followed by divorce divides two families, and the repercussions stretch over several decades, linking the two sets of children in a common tragedy. The novel rests heavily on narration, and on different character perspectives--a strategy wonderfully conceived and executed by Patchett, who depicts key events in retrospect and at a distance, in chapters assigned to different decades, different sets of characters, and different sides of the country. Dialogue scenes are essential, as well, and here Davis might have done better to maintain a consistent narrative voice, rather than trying to represent individual character voices, which prove of uneven quality. Regardless, Patchett is, as always, a surprising and resourceful storyteller. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2016]