THE BIG WHY

Michael Winter's second novel adopts a historical figure as its narrator--Rockwell Kent, the New York artist whose illustrations revived interest in MOBY-DICK in the 1920s. The story is inspired by Kent's move to Newfoundland before WWI. Listeners who know THE SHIPPING NEWS will not only notice the similarity in premise (though the styles of the two books are entirely different), but will also recognize narrator Robert Joy, who read the audio edition of Annie Proulx's novel. Joy's facility with turning on and off his Newfoundland accent and his imbuing of each character with a unique voice bring the world of the novel to life. Some of the author's dialogue seems improbable, but in Joy's hands it sounds palatable. D.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]