THE GRIEF OF OTHERS

Perhaps the only thing that can help one endure grief is the understanding that the feeling may one day lessen in intensity, its edges smoothing with time. While the characters in this audiobook are far from that awareness, caught as they are in the torment of having lost loved ones, the listener has Pam Ward’s performance to shine a soft light. Ward is consistently gentle throughout the painful turns of this novel, her voice empathetic and appropriately wistful. Her skilled phrasing spans time shifts and voices that range from those of toddlers to adults with nary a hesitation. The only time the listener may be pulled from this engrossing novel is to marvel at its affecting writing. Altogether, this is a remarkable audiobook. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]