OFF KECK ROAD

Joyce Bean's perfectly articulated narration cannot make this depressing story anything but. In Wisconsin, three women grow up, interweaving their dissatisfied lives. Bea, the daughter of a local doctor, comes from the right side of the tracks. June, who is a former sorority sweetheart and is sort of Bea's friend, grew up off Keck Road, a working-class street with small houses and lots of children. Shelly, a less educated, strong, and hard-working polio victim, is also from Keck Road. Bean embodies each persona, adeptly wading through the tedious minutiae of their daily lives, the pettiness and suspicion of their mothers, and the defining element they share--a real lack of love. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2013]