AN OPEN SWIMMER

This first novel from down-under concerns a seemingly aimless Australian lad who searches in the sea for the trajectory of his life. A universal theme has a "bar-bee" flavor as read here. Narrator Humphrey Bower reads with special sensitivity to his young hero. Nonetheless, this reviewer found the tape difficult on the nerves because Bower mercilessly, albeit authentically, gives us the Aussie voice--a gratingly ugly sound in the mouths of these blue-collar characters. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 02]