FRANKENSTEIN IN BAGHDAD

For this novel structured as linked short stories, two narrators work together to dramatize the horrors of postwar Iraq. Kaleo Griffith takes the first half, establishing a city torn by war that also teems with expats who intend to remake it, bigger and better. The second half of the story has a science fiction bent. Edoardo Ballerini portrays a man who scavenges body parts from the dead decaying in the streets to recreate Mary Shelley's infamous monster. This may be when some listeners hit "pause." But Ballerini's smooth delivery and fluid narration ensure that most will want to find out what happens next. His raspy voice conjures the painful dilemmas facing modern Iraqis, male and female alike. M.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2018]