THE BODY IN THE CLOUDS

In Hay's intricately woven second novel, three men in different centuries "see" a moment in time when a man falls from the sky--and survives. Each is transformed by the experience. How is this possible? Narrator Steve West's intimate baritone skillfully intertwines the lives of astronomer William Dawes, in 1787, bridge worker Ted Parker in the 1930s, and banker Dan Kopek in the 21st century. Delivered in alternating sections, each man's perspective is thoroughly explored through internal monologues. Each of the men is fully developed, and each has a life filled with familiar, very human, events and familiar real-life people. West is just right delivering the nonlinear plot, keeping Hay's lush descriptions and poetic vision, as well as the men's similar yearnings and expectations, easy to follow and completely convincing. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2017]