ANOTHER WORLD

Nick's grandfather, Jordi, a veteran of the trenches of WWI, is dying of cancer. He has at most a few weeks, and while he is visibly imploding with disease and guilt at 101 years old, Nick must contend with his own guilt, his grief, and his need to keep the remains of a broken family from collapsing further. His second wife, pregnant with their second child, is contending with her troubled son and Nick's angry daughter. Reader Steve Crossley deftly navigates these waters with a range of voices rich in tonal quickness and varied feeling, alternately angry, rebellious, dissatisfied and usually very troubled. Barker's world is not simplistically happy or even comforting, but it is honest, and his characters are worth knowing. Thanks to Crossley, we do. P.E.F. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]