THINGS YOU GET FOR FREE

Michael McGirr, in his middle thirties and well established as a Jesuit priest, is off on a trip to Europe with his mother, the trip she never made as a bride. As one slowly learns about all those "free things," such as shampoo and soap from hotels, one wonders just what the story is about. Then McGirr digresses to his childhood, his training as a priest, and a six-week walkabout across Australia, his native land. Next, he's back to the trip to Europe. His accent is understandable and is interspersed with Australian slang that isn't too hard for the American listener to decipher. But the story progresses in fits and starts without apparent rhyme or reason. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]