THEN THE FISH SWALLOWED HIM

Narrator Fajer Al-Kaisi uses his deep baritone to create the surprising character Yunus Turab, who we quickly realize is not an average bus driver. Listeners are drawn into Yunus's everyday life through the lively pace set by Al-Kaisi. This makes ordinary descriptions of Tehran seem alive and engaging. The narration grows more somber as Yunus is imprisoned and tortured. Is he an anti-government agent? Or one more victim of the harsh Iranian regime? Al-Kaisi will have listeners eager to hear the next clue and the next. His rich, warm delivery emphasizes the decent man under attack at the heart of this story. Yunus's fate illuminates the struggles facing contemporary Iranians in a story told by an expert performer. M.R. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]