DRYLANDS

Prepare to have your heart broken. Thea Astley and Beverley Dunn bring the dying Australian town of Drylands to life—bleak as it is. Janet Deakins runs a bookstore in a town where no one reads. She’s writing a book for the world's last reader about this parched settlement, and the vignettes of its inhabitants are full of racism, sexism, and inexplicable cruelty. Dunn creates multiple voices for characters who range from thoughtful, lonely Janet to abusive husbands. She also skillfully conveys the physical landscape, with its isolation and relentless beating sun. Residents abandon the town one by one, fleeing domestic violence, unaffordable taxes, drought, and dreams turned into ashes. Astley's language is breathtaking, and Dunn's narration is stunning. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2009]