A FALSE SENSE OF WELL BEING

Braselton's first novel offers an introspective look into the mind of a woman at a critical life-juncture. After 11 years of marriage to faithful, reliable Turner, social worker Jessie Maddox obsessively imagines what life could be like if he were dead. Jessie's world is filled with women churning over the remnants of their hopes and dreams. Her married best friend is sleeping with a young store clerk; her sister has left her husband, "this time for good"; her devout mother censors library books with a black marker; and the client she befriends is a battered wife who murdered her abusive husband. Narrator Julia Gibson's reading maintains a safe distance, keeping the tone disappointingly neutral. Southern accents are done well, and Gibson's interpretation of Wanda is first-rate. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]