THE BIG BOOK OF THE DEAD

Author/narrator Marion Winik's clarity, pacing, and charm will have listeners quickly enjoying this surprisingly moving audiobook. A lot of the appeal is in her writing, in which she comes across as a likable artist/observer with some great stories about the lives she chronicles. Her subjects are people she knew in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Austin, and Baltimore. They're all dead, of course, which she says simplifies the issue of betraying their confidences or privacy. Though she will sound to some ears like she's reading rather than narrating, the deadpan, ironic tone of her delivery is a good fit for her comedic writing and fine-tuned observational skills. It's hard to imagine anyone not enjoying these stories. T.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2019]