THE TENDER BAR

Imagine if your father disappeared before you were born--only to reappear years later as a voice on the radio. J.R. Moehringer's fascinating memoir opens with the premise that men are either good or bad--and his father is not measuring up too well. For guidance, Moehringer turns to a barroom full of neighborhood characters grafted from equal parts Saroyan, Runyan, and Buttafuoco. Considering that the ghost that haunts this story is his father's disembodied voice, Moehringer's reading is especially poignant when relating the few brief conversations he had with his deadbeat dad. Moehringer may not have gotten much from Pops, but he seems to have inherited a gift for storytelling and a voice to go with it. R.W.S. 2006 Audie Award Winner © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]