FEAR OF DYING

Narrator Suzanne Toren brings a welcome level of engagement to author Erica Jong's novel about how 60-year-old Vanessa Wonderman faces the sandwich years of tending to her elderly parents, caring for her older husband, and supporting her adult daughter. Although Vanessa's tendency toward self-focus verges on the tedious, Toren holds listeners' attention by highlighting Jong's chatty style and by perfectly interpreting the story's broad emotional spectrum--from Vanessa's sadness and fear at the prospect of losing her parents to her deep joy and love when holding her first grandchild. Despite the overarching theme of mortality, the audiobook is not without humor, especially as Vanessa tries to revive her wilder, younger self. Baby Boomers (who will most likely be familiar with Jong's 1973 bestseller, FEAR OF FLYING) will find themselves resonating with Vanessa's daily struggle to balance her many roles and responsibilities. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2015]