NAME ALL THE ANIMALS

Alison Smith was so close to her brother, Roy, that their mother called them by one name: Alroy. Roy was 18 when he died in an automobile accident. But how do you kill off half a person and expect the other half to live? Without ever turning away, this narrative walks through sorrow and out the other side. It helps that Alroy had a mother and father who adored their children, each other, and their God. Mornings, the father used to bless the kids, naming their parts. God was asked to bless Alison's throat and voice. It must have worked. Her reading is pitch-perfect, giving this painful but redemptive story just the right combination of bravery, youth, and fragility. Delicious. B.H.C. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]