THE FAMILY TREE

The structure of this first novel is more a double helix than a tree, but the title is apt. Rebecca's charmless geneticist husband seems to view her as a lab animal, her family's history as a case study. But for Rebecca, as her past and present wind around each other, the question of what makes one person lucky and happy and another mad is as complex and freighted as it is for most of us. Josephine Bailey throws voices into Cadwalladr's characters like a ventriloquist, disappearing herself as her skill brings imaginary others to life. Rebecca's mother's mania, subtly appearing in her pressured speech, her slightly rising pitch, is just one gem in a richly accomplished performance. B.G. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE/JULY 05]