BOOKWORM

Karissa Vacker portrays Victoria, an unreliable character who copes by blurring the lines between reality and fantasy as her favorite books suggest scenarios for a happier life. While reading in a cafe, she spots an attractive man who is reading the same book she is, and she begins to imagine an affair. In this scene, Vacker becomes lively and animated. But her tone switches back to one of detachment as Victoria once again confronts reality, which continually necessitates refraining from contradicting her mother and her best friend when they remind her how great her life is. Vacker deftly delivers the pompous and judgmental attitudes of Victoria's husband, a controlling lawyer who frequently belittles her. No one to root for here. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2023]