LIGHT IN AUGUST

It’s impossible to overstate the difficulties facing Will Patton as he undertakes a reading of this Faulkner classic. It’s not simply the matter of conveying early-twentieth-century Southern backwoods dialects. That, a skilled mimic with an exceptional ear like Patton masters easily. But this novel’s demands are so much more arduous, requiring a narrator to plumb the depths of despair, hopelessness, faith, rage, and yearning that go on for page after page without letup. To maintain that intensity, to stay true to the uncompromising vision of the author, that is the test for the narrator in this reading, and Patton never falters, never gives an inch himself. His passion is like the current of a surging river, and his performance as authentic and timeless as Faulkner’s Mississippi dirt. A stunning achievement. M.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2011 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2010]