SEES BEHIND TREES

Joseph Bruchac, Native American writer and folklorist, narrates the highly acclaimed story of Walnut/Sees Behind Trees, whose limited vision is a hindrance until he reaches his coming-of-age ceremony. At that point, he discovers that he has developed an "internal eye," a gift he must then learn to use wisely. Bruchac's largely unimpassioned delivery is a less-than-perfect match for the first-person text. His measured, rather than conversational, reading, combined with his drawn out syllables and sometimes dreamy tone, prevents the character of Sees Behind Trees from coming to life. Voicing for other characters sounds forced and unnatural, at times, as with Walnut's uncle, Brings the Deer. In addition, his interpretation of the pivotal mentor character, Gray Fox, is overly sincere, serving to further distance the reader from the story. T.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 99]