THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST

The book club's December meeting is spent with each member naming the book that has mattered most in her life for the purpose of everyone reading and discussing it the next year. Sadly, the idea of this book is more interesting than its execution, and Nina Alvamar's narration doesn't improve the story. The plot moves between Ava and her daughter, Maggie, with a third character showing up about halfway through. The other characters are clichéd, and the story itself seems manipulative and unrealistic. Alvamar's narration doesn't match the ages of the characters. Ava is old enough to have children out of college, yet her sentences end with upspeak. Furthermore, her delivery has no nuances, and her pacing and tone become monotonous. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2016]