THE BUTTERFLY LAMPSHADE

Julia Whelan gives authentic-sounding voices to every character in this poignant story of a mentally ill mother and her daughter. The story begins with the panicked voice of the mother as she reaches out to her sister for help. Twenty years later, her adult daughter, Francie, is obsessed with understanding her strangely powerful, otherworldly, yet very real memories of her journey from Oregon to California to live with her aunt. In flashbacks, 8-year-old Francie speaks politely yet adamantly as she tries to maintain some control over her confusing world. Aunt Mim sounds loving but worried as she listens to and cares for Francie. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2020]