MISSING MOM

Nikki, an upstate New York feature writer, tells the story of life as the daughter of Gwen, recently widowed and given to a homey gentility. Gwen is subsequently murdered, but the book is less a murder mystery than a self-absorbed narrative, by a not particularly likable main character. Listeners might expect that a novel read by the wonderful Anna Fields and written by the incomparable Oates would knock their socks off. The novel starts out with Oates's usual expertise, but then things become tedious and disappointing. Anna Fields provides a valiant, emotional reading, but not even she can present an unbearably long list of the word WHY without its becoming tiresome. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]