EARLY MORNING RISER

Katherine Heiny's much anticipated audiobook starts off sounding like a rom-com, but, happily, it soon becomes less conventional. Narrator Kate Rudd portrays Duncan, a small-town Michigan lothario, and Jane, who begrudgingly falls for his charms. Jane is bothered by Duncan's past promiscuity, yet his fatherly relationship with a developmentally disabled adult displays an ability to commit. Rudd's experience with narrating fiction is on display as she shifts easily between a handful of peculiar characters, like Aggie, Duncan's needy ex-wife, and her idiosyncratic husband, Gary, who is voiced with a deadpan oddness that elicits listeners' laughter. Rudd's timing when delivering comedic dialogue keeps the audiobook fun as Jane decides what she truly needs in a life partner. J.T. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]