THE NARROWBOAT GIRL

Maryann Nelson has the kind of childhood that nightmares are made of. Her stepfather is a pedophile, who abuses both Maryann and her older sister, Sal. Their mother doesn’t believe them, and when Sal runs away, Maryann is left to deal with her stepfather alone. Finally, she escapes to the “cut’—the canal system that carries goods throughout England. There she meets Joel, who takes care of her, that is, until his brotherly feelings change. Annie Aldington manages to imbue her reading of this novel with both desperation and dread. Her thick Birmingham accent depicts the sad life that surrounds this poverty-stricken family. When Maryann goes into service in a posh house, Aldington varies the voices with ease. It’s interesting how one accent can convey poverty while another, wealth. Here Aldington uses both to tell the story. B.H.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2009]