IF YOU WANT ME TO STAY

An audiobook primarily set in a truck--what could be more perfect? Perhaps nothing, save the stellar narration that puts the listener right in the pickup with two brothers traveling the North Carolina coast with only soul music to guide them. T. Ryder Smith conjures a clear image of 14-year-old Joel, who must try to save his family from his father's madness. Smith's genuine accent serves both female and male characters well and expresses Joel's anger and fear convincingly. Although Smith doesn't sing the soul classics interspersed throughout the novel, his reading paints a vivid picture of a family that draws wisdom from Motown lyrics. Oh yes, please stay. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 06]