THE RECORD KEEPER

Adenrele Ojo narrates a dystopian coming-of-age story loosely inspired by CANDIDE. Arika Cobane is almost done with her training when she begins to learn unsettling things about the world she thought she knew. Ojo creates a fully believable portrait of 17-year-old Arika. She is incredibly self-assured yet simultaneously naïve and bursting with prickly, desperate potential. Teacher Jones is also well crafted. Her disdainful sense of superiority barely covers a violent hatred of everyone around her. Sadly, Ojo fails to create such distinctive portrayals of the secondary characters, and they tend to be indistinguishable. In addition, the complexity of the narrative arc and abrupt ending may make this a frustrating experience for some. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2020]