THE SOUL THIEF

Jefferson Mays brings a sly hyperawareness to this novel, which is interested in the elusive matter of identity. Though his delivery is carefully modulated, Mays is alive to both the comic and sinister elements that run parallel through Baxter's entire work. The protagonist, a graduate student in Buffalo, possibly named Nathanial Mason, falls into several odd relationships that push him to the edge of sanity. As Baxter intends, listeners are never sure where they, or Mason, stand in terms of reality. Mays's ironic detachment keeps listeners riveted to the story, if increasingly uncomfortable as well, right up to the final, lacerating revelation. M.O. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2008]