WINDFALL

Narrator Tonya Cornelisse's gravelly voice captures the worldliness of Alice, a high school senior who was orphaned at the age of 9. Since then, she has lived with loving relatives. Cornelisse expresses the thoughtful tenderness of Alice's Latina aunt and contrasts this with her uncle's remoteness. She portrays the camaraderie Alice finds with her cousin, Leo, and his friend, Teddy, until the momentous night of Teddy's birthday. On that night, Teddy kisses Alice for the first time, and they discover he's won millions of dollars with the lottery ticket she bought him. As events transpire, Cornelisse reveals Alice's longing for her parents and evokes Teddy's painful past when his father, a gambler, resurfaces. Cornelisse gives full depth to the emotions in this story of gains and losses. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2017]