A MAD DESIRE TO DANCE

The hero of Elie Wiesel's A MAD DESIRE TO DANCE survived the horrors of WWII but is unable to live in peacetime. The novel is an intense journey into the mind of a miserable man who has suffered overwhelming personal loss and who is trapped by his fear of life itself. Narrator Mark Bramhall becomes Doriel, who moves the book along by talking, thinking, and philosophizing. His is a circular logic that ultimately leaves him powerless and fearful. Bramhall's timbre, inflection, and tone reveal the sadness of Doriel's soul and his desperate hope as he reaches out to a psychologist. He silently begs for her help even as he frustrates her. Kirsten Potter skillfully portrays the doctor’s calm encouragement of her patient—as much as she mentally screams in frustration. M.S. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2009]