SIXTY-SIX

For Barry Levinson, life begins and ends in diners in Baltimore. In his film DINER, Levinson focused on life and youth in 1959 in a diner in Baltimore. SIXTY-SIX, Levinson's charming first novel is also set in Baltimore, this time in 1966; not unexpectedly, many crucial events occur at the diner. The novel is a story, or more accurately a series of vignettes, about friends and how their lives are transformed by drugs, Vietnam, and general uncertainty. Johnny Heller's performance is low-key but effective. The story is told by Bobby Shine, who quits law school to go into TV production. Heller ably displays his angst and frustration, as well as the personalities and problems of the other characters. Although the ending is less than satisfying, Heller never loses his focus, and fans of DINER will not disappointed. D.J.S.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 04]