THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY

O’Connor’s second and last novel is a peculiar argument with itself about religious zealotry and faithlessness peopled by uniformly grotesque characters: the elderly Mason Tarwater, whose religious fanaticism borders on insanity; his nephew, Rayber, who is an atheist in reaction to his uncle; and Frank Tarwater, Mason’s unsentimental grand-nephew, whose soul the older men fight to claim. Narrator Mark Bramhall does nothing to soften the edges of O’Connor’s Southern Gothic characters. He attacks each with a gleeful zest that is practically propulsive. His performance will not necessarily make listeners like this novel, but it will no doubt keep them far more engaged than they may have been otherwise. M.O. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]