NORTHERN LIGHTS

Narrator Michael Crouch places listeners inside Strom's debut novel with subtle vocal inflections that reflect its rural Minnesota setting. Forced from home by his uncle following graduation, Shane spends the summer between high school and college searching for his absentee mother. Androgynous in appearance, he encounters reactions from townsfolk ranging from virulent hostility to acceptance. Crouch portrays Shane with youthful, even-keeled tones that reflect his uncertainty and increasingly substance-altered days spent with new friends Jenny, Jay, and Russell, whose shifting emotional states Crouch ably depicts. Local tensions over white supremacists and drug dealers force Shane and his friends to make difficult decisions. This thoughtful production reveals consequences that are both tragic and hopeful. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2019]