LAMB

Conor Mullen's Irish accent is musical and meditative, in other words, irresistible for an American audience. It also quite suited to a story that is driven less by events than rumination. Brother Sebastian--Michael Lamb--runs away from a bleak reformatory, taking with him Owen, a 12-year-old boy with a past of child abuse and a future promising little better. But the book is far from a cat-and-mouse chase. It is a consideration of more intimate issues--faith, love, responsibility--all in the context of a hopeless situation. Mullen's lilting, heartfelt reading conveys the passions of a man yearning to do good, knowing that his actions are beyond the comprehension of every soul but his own. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]