GUESTS ON EARTH

After her mother's suicide, Evalina Toussaint, an emotionally troubled piano prodigy, is sent to Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. There the 13-year-old meets fellow patient Zelda Fitzgerald, the mercurial wife of F. Scott, who treats Evalina as if she were her daughter, "Scotty." Emily Woo Zeller narrates with the wide-eyed innocence of the teen who sees and recounts much of the inner workings of the institution. Her voice matures appropriately over the 12 years from 1936 to 1948, when a tragic fire kills eight patients at the hospital, including Zelda. Lee Smith's sideways glance at Zelda doesn't add much to what is already known about her, but Evalina's story is intriguing, and Zeller's lively narration keeps the novel engaging. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2013]