THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN

Listeners will discover a most endearing and disturbing character in Lorelei Bird, whom Karina Fernandez captures to a tee. The mother of four is a hoarder whose addiction eventually causes most of her family to leave her. Fernandez captures each distinctive Bird family member, particularly Lorelei, who's at once childlike in her enthusiasms and fiercely determined to give her children model childhoods. The story centers around years of Easter Sunday celebrations, with the Birds seeming like the ideal family until tragedy strikes when 16-year-old Rhys commits suicide, leaving Lorelei's belief system shattered. The story's many characters are well served as the author illuminates the drive to hoard. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2014]