RECONSTRUCTION

Anna Bentinck delivers a masterful rendering of this nail-biter about a desperate and confused young man who is holding hostages in a British nursery school. Much of the story's suspense stems from the thoughts, fears, and tribulations of the individual characters—the gunman, a nursery school teacher, the school's janitor, an awkward father with 3-year-old twin sons, the MI6 accountant who finds himself drawn inexorably into the situation. Bentinck's reading nimbly captures it all. Rage, despair, terror, disillusionment—all are portrayed in a manner that catapults this reading into an audio production that far exceeds the experience of the book in print. A masterpiece of a performance. M.L.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2009]