GOSSIP

Beth Gutcheon’s popular and finely written novels often examine big topics in an intimate, personal way. Her newest book takes on that ubiquitous human activity—talking about other people. Full of apparently innocuous chatter, this first seems to be a lighthearted chronicle about the intersecting lives of city people. But as the story builds toward a gripping climax on 9/11, we are reminded that humans are complicated creatures and gossip is rarely innocent. While acceptable, Kimberly Farr’s flat, uninflected narration does not do justice to the intensity of Gutcheon’s story. In fact, she sounds as if she didn’t understand the point of the book—too bad all around. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]