PAGES OF MOURNING

Andre Bellido skillfully narrates this story of writers, generational trauma, and magical realism. Aureliano Más returns to Mexico City at the behest of his aunt. She has secured him a writing fellowship she hopes will give him direction and help him stop drinking. But Aureliano's alcoholism, rooted in his mother's haunting disappearance and his best friend's suicide, has a firm grip, and he grapples with grief. Passages about his mother and aunt's pasts shed light on the world of drugs. Bellido has a neutral, clear voice that allows listeners to lose themselves in the story. His narration of moving passages in a tightly controlled tone reflects the character's attempt at numbness. Bellido deftly portrays females with a slight vocal change. A.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2024]