THE SAND CASTLE

On a summer day in 1952, 7-year-old Nickel, her mother, her aunt, and her cousin, 8-year old Leroy, have come to the seashore. Her aunt's daughter (Leroy's mother) has recently died, and while the two women try to coax Leroy out of his doldrums, Nickel finds pleasure in taunting and torturing him, with a particularly nasty reference to his penis. Havoc in this family prevails until Leroy is bitten on his privates by a crab—and the four find themselves bonding. Narrator Marguerite Gavin infuses the women with strength and fortitude, but the children seem forced into their roles. The plot proceeds at a relaxed tempo at first, then slogs its way to the ending. Not Rita Mae Brown's best effort. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]