THINGS MY SON NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD

Actor Santino Fontana gives an animated performance of this collection of essays and musings on fatherhood from Fredrik Backman. Fontana brings a perfect balance of acerbic wit and tenderness. With his theater background, it's not surprising that his delivery is reminiscent of a one-man show; his rhythm even includes slight pauses where the listener might laugh. The essays in the audiobook range from a few sentences to much longer pieces in which Backman muses about topics as diverse as masculinity and the surprising importance of poop to new parents. Fontana moves through the material with natural-sounding ease. E.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2019]