THE PARKING LOT ATTENDANT

In an instant, narrator Bahni Turpin's rich voice immerses listeners in the unusual circumstances that lead an unnamed teenager and her father to seek refuge in a remote island community. Then, in a tone of longing and regret, Turpin takes listeners back in time to when the protagonist and her father lived in relative normalcy in Boston's thriving Ethiopian community. There, the intensely curious teenager develops a foreboding friendship with a charismatic parking lot attendant named Ayale and his loyal followers. Turpin's performance is dynamic as she confidently takes on Ethiopian accents for Ayale and his followers, along with a tone that is both persuasive and intimidating. Turpin's consistent performance never betrays the sometimes unreliable first-person narrator or the darkness encroaching on this teenager's insulated life. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2018]