THE THING WITH FEATHERS

Narrator Nora Hunter has the perfect voice for Emilie Day, the main character of this ultimately disappointing debut. She has the tone, pacing, and whiney delivery of this depressed, self-absorbed teenager, who is forced to leave her safe world of homeschooling and enter the world of high school. The chapters open with quotes from Emily Dickinson, the reclusive poet Emilie identifies with. Even as classmates Ayla and Chatham extend the hand of friendship and share their own challenges, Emilie’s egocentric point of view prevents her from being empathic and using these conversations to be honest and share her own issues. Her inner dialogue is tedious, repetitious, and somewhat unbelievable as the predictable plot wends its way to a fairy-tale ending. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2017]