CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD

Narrator Xe Sands's soothing voice and evocative performance of this novel about relationships, family, and loneliness are an audiobook lover's dream. In 1970, 16-year-old Lucy runs away from Boston to set up house with her English teacher, William, in rural Pennsylvania. Sands changes up her volume, pacing, and expression to create a range of moods that mirror each character's inner world after the teen disappears. Noteworthy are her portrayals of Lucy's oppressive isolation and dawning realization that William is not the man of her dreams, her older sister's distress and determination to find the girl, and their adoptive mother's worry and guilt about her own failures. Sands slips easily among the different viewpoints, including those of the men, building the tension and keeping listeners fully invested in Lucy's story. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2016]