YOU ARE EATING AN ORANGE. YOU ARE NAKED.

There's real magic in this pairing of Sheung-King's first novel and Kenny Wong's audiobook debut. The novel can seem unrooted as the setting shifts from Toronto to Hong Kong to Prague. The narrator and his lover are never named, and they share intimacy by telling each other stories and folktales that can come across like disjointed vignettes. But this, of course, is the point, and Wong's narration emphasizes the lyrical, impressionistic style of the writing. With his understated and warm timbre and his comfort with the Asian languages sprinkled throughout, Wong conveys not only the narrator's detachment and ennui, but also his sincere love for his elusive partner. This audiobook is a four-hour symphony to be savored. D.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2021]