JAMRACH'S MENAGERIE

Carol Birch has created a marvelous piece of literary legerdemain with this tale of young Jaffy Brown, a street urchin in late-Victorian London who finds his place as a wild animal whisperer with a dealer in exotic beasts named Jamrach. Eventually, Jaffy and his best friend/closest enemy Tim ship out on a whaler with a side mission: to find and capture one of the dragons rumored to live in the South Seas. You’ve read Moby Dick, you know all about the Essex; you can guess much of what happens next, but Birch’s powerful imagination makes it truly new and truly riveting, and Steve West’s performance is astounding in its range and sympathy for even the nuttiest characters. He delivers a gripping narrative with mesmerizing skill. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2011]