TELEPHONE OF THE TREE

Narrator Sara Matsui-Colby captures the bittersweet tenderness of this story about coping with grief. Ten-year-old Ayla longs for her best friend, Kiri, to return home, but the listener soon suspects that she will not. The timbre Matsui-Colby uses for Ayla's thoughts is more intense--louder, more annoyed, or sadder--than the small voice she presents to family and neighbors as she steadfastly tries to suppress the reality that her friend is not going to return. Her family and other friends, especially a troubled young boy on her block, are depicted with quiet calmness. When an old rotary phone mysteriously appears in Ayla's tree, it brings healing to the community. Inspired by a true story. L.T. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2024]