WHERE THE DEAD SIT TALKING

Eric Summerer narrates Cherokee author Brandon Hobson's new novel. His deliberate pacing and almost dispassionate tone underscore 15-year-old Sequoyah's alienation and observations of his new foster family. While a coming-of-age story, this realistic account of some months in the 1980s from the later vantage point of full adulthood is not a young adult listen, although older teens can derive insight and companionship from it. Both Hobson's characterizations and Summerer's ability to voice the teen's depression and the unhelpful adults in his life--from his foster parents to a creepy teacher and an impatient dentist--are revelatory. Summerer is least successful in his voice for foster sister Rosemary; however, he succeeds with a foster brother who has Asperger's. Overall, Summerer's quiet tone suits the subtle, interior-focused story. F.M.R.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2018]