THE INFINITIES

John Banville isn't a superstar author in the U.S., but some consider him among the best novelists in English today. THE INFINITIES combines two of his recurring themes: the scientific imagination and the return to a childhood home. It's also one of the few novels told by a Greek god: The narrator identifies himself as Hermes, herald of the gods. Julian Rhind-Tutt manages to sound much as one might imagine an English Hermes, subtly marking the shifts when the narrative is taken over by (or admits itself to be by) Adam Godley, the dying scientist at the heart of the novel. Rhind-Tutt captures the wit, subtlety, and mystery that mark Banville's best works. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2010]