JOE

Mississippi's London Hill is peopled by brutal characters, whose lives are impoverished by booze, tobacco, guns and violence. The story is loosely built upon an unlikely relationship between a 15-year-old vagrant, Gary Jones, and a middle-aged, divorced ex-convict, Joe Ransom. As much of this dark tale concerns encounters between characters--in scenes with truly great dialogue--distinguishing among them requires subtle inflections, which are missing from Tom Stechschulte's reading. Often it's difficult to figure out just who's speaking. Yet the novel should be heard, and Stechschulte does more justice to Brown's vivid depictions of this bleak backwater's inhabitants and surroundings. J.H.L. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV/DEC 97]