FAMILY TREE

Caucasian couple Dana and Hugh Clarke are shocked with Dana gives birth to a baby with African-American features. The situation compels Dana to search for the father she has never known and forces Hugh's prominent WASP family to come to terms with their own bigotry. Narrator Becket Royce renders every emotion in this dramatic novel? from the joys of motherhood to the sorrows of grief. Royce's performance of the reserved upper-crust Clarkes is convincing as they evolve from cold and distant to sympathetic and complex. Although abridged, the story never stalls, and Royce capably keeps pace as each family's secrets are uncovered. K.M.D. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 07]