THE ART OF STARVING

Tom Phelan's narration is flat and emotionless as he portrays the depressed state of 16-year-old Matt. Despite his gloom, Matt is determined to find his sister, stop his mother's drinking, and consume minimal calories. Each chapter begins with a rule Matt suggests for success in the art of starving. Phelan's dispassionate tone evokes Matt's certainty of these truths. Soon, however, Phelan's deadpan tone clashes with the extreme nature of Matt's beliefs and actions as his superpowers emerge. From that point, Phelan's voice is steadying as the audiobook shifts into magical realism, and Matt plunges deeply into his fears about his developing feelings for the handsome Tariq. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2017]