OCEAN STATE

O'Nan's literary mystery opens with eighth-grader Marie calmly stating that her sister, Angel, a senior, helped murder a girl. Narrator Sara Young is most nuanced when Marie speaks as an astute observer of the people and dynamics of her working-class Rhode Island town. Young brings Angel; Myles, the cheating boyfriend; and Birdy, the hapless victim, to life through unique teenage voices that illuminate their personalities. Less successful are the chapters told in a third-person omniscient voice, which Young delivers in a detached tone. In these sections of this small-town drama, inconsistent or nonexistent vocal nuances make it difficult to identify important secondary characters as their lives are impacted for years to come by the tragedy. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]