THE SHEPHERD'S HUT

Jaxie Clakton, the male protagonist in this gritty novel told in the first person, is one tough, foul-mouthed teenager. So it might be initially surprising to learn that the choice narrator for the audiobook is a 40-year-old woman, even if Kate Mulvaney's Western Australian accent is perfect for the novel's setting. But just minutes into this story of survival and an unlikely friendship that comes to a shocking end, listeners won't be able to imagine Jaxie's voice from anyone else. Mulvany is marvelous at capturing the angst and anger of this deeply compelling character, and she is absolutely convincing in her delivery of the novel's dialogue, with all of Winton's wonderful regional vocabulary. D.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2018]