BARKSKINS

So often novels affixed with labels like "saga" and "sweeping" and "vast in scope" can be difficult to break into--their opening chapters slow and setting-laden. Not so with Robert Petkoff's outstanding performance of Proulx's gorgeous BARKSKINS. Petkoff's delivery is mesmerizing, with distinctive voices for generations of well-developed characters, and perfect pacing and incredible accents that give an air of authenticity. Immediately the listener is immersed in a place so colorfully depicted through both the written and spoken word that the time slips past and Proulx's wild forests settle in all around. The novel is indeed a sweeping saga, but Proulx and Petkoff are the duo to make the time seem too short. A transporting listen. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2016]