OTHER EVOLUTIONS

Narrator Raffa Virago's delivery is so on point for this story's main character that listeners may forget she's not actually a second-generation Canadian tween who is wracked with the jealousies, fantasies, and mortifications of growing up. The audiobook shares 100 anecdotes from the life of Alma Alt, from age five into adulthood, including an event at age 14 that the first stories reveal led to the loss of one of her arms. Alma's story is populated by her Mexican and European Jewish extended family members and by her wider community in Ottawa. However, the other characters are filtered through Alma's age-appropriate self-centeredness. Virago's choice not to give secondary characters distinct voices keeps listeners firmly in tween-aged Alma's point of view. V.E.G. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2025]