KEEPING FAITH

Mariah catches a strange woman in the bedroom with her supposedly devoted husband, and he leaves. Life is further complicated when her daughter, Faith, begins experiencing stigmata and visions. Picoult reveals core emotions as Mariah struggles to keep Faith in a custody case, fighting a deeper battle in herself to gain the confidence she badly needs. This underlying conflict is well represented with a dual reading. Eliza Foss reads the bulk of the narrative in a voice that is strong and straightforward. Julia Gibson reads Mariah's first-person bits in a voice that combines self-doubt and undeniable strength. These emotions vie in Gibson's voice just as they do in the story, adding additional conflict to a tense plot. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 07]