BLOOMLAND

The destructive impact of gun violence comes to life in this stirring audiobook, narrated with intensity by Charlie Thurston. Set in the South, this debut novel reads like a documentary, which is an ideal format for Thurston, whose delivery is reminiscent of the best TV anchormen. The audiobook begins when a student kills 12 people at his university library, using his roommate's semiautomatic rifle. The story focuses on this event's life-altering impact upon a professor, a student, and a young man. Both dialogue and narrative are tightly written, and Thurston's delivery recognizes their power with his low-key yet effective delivery. The result is an audiobook that listeners will remember. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2020]