A HOLE IN THE UNIVERSE

After 25 years in prison for a shocking murder during his youth, Gordon Loumis returns to his deteriorated boyhood neighborhood to try to resume his life. Mistrustful of his own capacities, Gordon feels his way through charged relationships with a younger brother who is dealing with his own failings, an unloved neighborhood child, and a boisterous woman who yearns for intimacy. In creating these quirky characters, Culp sometimes inadvertently puts one in mind of "The Simpsons," rather than a novel. But the precariousness of Gordon's situation focuses listener attention, surmounting Culp's occasional excesses. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]