MONKEY ISLAND

Eleven-year-old Clay has been abandoned by both of his parents. Once a middle-class child, he now finds himself homeless on the streets of New York City. The book has been praised for its sensitive handling of one of society's most painful subjects, scorned for the seemingly facile manner in which Clay survives, and turned aside as being too depressing. None of this matters. The listener is alone with Guidall's interpretation of Clay's anguish and, for the length of the recording, that's all that is important. The unvoiced reading brings this particular homeless community to life in a wholly involving fashion, which does credit to Fox's strong narrative. S.G. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT 94]