THE BOY IN THE EARTH

A taxi driver's ruminations comprise the majority of this dark glimpse of how childhood secrets reverberate in the present. Narrator Brian Nishii lends a somber voice to an unnamed main character who drives a taxi in Tokyo. Nishii handles both male and female characters with dramatic intensity to match their experiences on the fringes of society. The listener becomes submerged in a day-to-day existence dogged by the threat of poverty and the disappointments of the past. Would it be better if life ended? Nishii makes the existential angst palpable in his steady delivery of lengthy sentences. His correct pronunciation of Japanese words and names makes for a seamless listening experience. M.R. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2017]