A SHARP ENDLESS NEED

Set in a small Pennsylvania town in 2004, this queer coming-of-age audiobook is full of heated longing and the physicality of basketball. Dani Martineck embodies high school senior Mack, whose life revolves around her love of basketball and her complicated friendship with her new teammate, Liv. Martineck's sometimes husky, sometimes clipped voice captures all of Mack's frustration, confusion, pent-up desire, and fiery determination. Their narration mirrors the quiet intensity of the story, which isn't centered around a dramatic plot but on the emotional landscape of growing up queer in a particular time and place. They excel, too, at bringing the basketball scenes to life--it's never just the game that's at stake for Mack, but her entire sense of self. A melancholy but beautiful listen. L.S. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2025]