THE MORNINGSIDE

This near-future dystopian novel is set in a time of ecological disaster in the mostly underwater community of Island City. Carlotta Brentan portrays the cast of characters smartly by subtly shifting tone, cadence, and timbre. She smoothly portrays the protagonist, who begins as a gangly 11-year-old named Sylvia. Brentan contrasts Sylvia's size and temperament with those of her secretive and diminutive Eastern European-sounding mother. The voices are nicely differentiated for the other female characters and for the single man in the story, who is both the voice of a pirate radio station and a friend to the mother and daughter. The once stately Morningside building is now home to "repopulated" folks who are part of a government program. Mysteries shroud this imaginative work. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2024]