RELATIVE STRANGERS

Eighteen-year-old Jules was raised by a distant single mother. Lauren Ezzo's moving narration expresses the silent envy that Jules feels for traditional families with warm matriarchs. When she discovers she spent two years in foster care, she reconnects with the loving foster family behind her mother's back. Ezzo brings a flurry of complex emotions to the clandestine reunion that leads Jules to an earnest foster brother whom she develops complicated feelings for. Ezzo's dynamic performance highlights the stark contrast between the two mothers who raised Jules. She effectively contrasts the women with a youthful, casual tone for Jules's artistic-minded mother, who is a recovering alcoholic, and a delicate, more nurturing tone for Jules's foster mother, who is nearing the end of her fight with cancer. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2018]