THE PEARL DIVER

Jeff Talarigo’s first novel takes us somewhere we’ve never been. This beautifully crafted story, which takes place in 1948, follows a 19-year-old Japanese pearl diver who discovers she has leprosy. Quarantined to Nagashima, an island hospital, she must give up all connection to her past--even her name. Jenny Ikeda’s voice is light and youthful, the epitome of girlish innocence. In her understated performance, the grotesque assumes a quiet grace. As “Miss Fuji” learns the harsh realities of life in the leprosarium, Ikeda’s icy voice cuts like a knife. Talarigo provides historical glimpses of a society that shunned lepers, a world medical community’s indifference to their treatment, and the stigma the disease brought to families. The combination of an original, intriguing, completely engaging tale, read by the perfect actor for it, makes this required reading. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]