AN ARSONIST'S GUIDE TO WRITERS' HOMES IN NEW ENGLAND

If the title isn't enough to capture the listener, Daniel Passer's narration will be. Passer assumes the voice of Sam, who served prison time for burning down Emily Dickinson's house with two people inside. Even though Sam's deed was an accident, there's something in his voice, and in Passer's performance of it, that keeps the listener rapt with attention. Sam is socially awkward at best and eerily distant at worst. Listening to him as his post-prison life--replete with wife, children, and home--is consumed by the vengeful return of his past is fascinating for its beautiful observations and appropriately awkward delivery. Passer's neutral yet appealing tone is the ideal voice for Sam and this excellent audiobook. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]