THE MIDDLE SISTER

Three sisters' lives become extremely complicated after their mother asks their father to leave. Family is all they have as both their finances and their mother's sanity spiral downward over the decade of the 1970s in one of New York City's housing projects. Susan Spain gives a strong performance as a precocious child whose constant companion is an imaginary friend from the television show "Kung Fu." Through the voice of the teenaged middle child, Spain richly constructs a world filled with compassion, sisterhood, poverty, despair, mental illness, and enduring love. No matter the age, education level, or gender of the character, Spain never condescends in bringing this haunting story vividly to life. P.R. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 06]