DREAMING IN ENGLISH

Angela Dawe narrates the sequel to VEIL OF ROSES, continuing the story of Tami Soroush, an Iranian immigrant, just married and settling into life in the United States. Author Laura Fitzgerald recounts Tami’s struggle largely through interior monologue and dialogue, and Angela Dawe is adept at quick shifts between voices and moods as she clearly depicts the story’s characters and their emotions. Dawe’s lightly accented depiction of Tami reveals a young woman full of anxieties about deportation, her husband’s affections, and her need to stand up for herself. Tami’s husband, Ike, is solid and compassionate. Dawe’s enactment of their interactions expresses their chemistry, mutual respect, frustrations, and emotional floundering. At the book’s end, Tami finds the courage to voice her true thoughts, and Ike’s responding pride is a lovely complement. S.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]