RECITATIF

This new audio version of Toni Morrison's only short story highlights the brilliance of three Black women: Morrison, obviously; Zadie Smith, who reads her own thoughtful and moving introduction with sparkling curiosity; and narrator Bahni Turpin, whose vocal talents are on full display. The story, which Morrison wrote in 1980 and described as an "experiment," follows two characters from their girlhood at a state institution into their adult lives. Their races are left deliberately ambiguous. One is Black, and one white, but listeners are left guessing which is which. Turpin beautifully characterizes both women, capturing the deftness of Morrison's prose. It's fitting that such a unique story, written by one of America's greatest writers, is brought to life by one of the most gifted narrators working today. L.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2022]