HEADING OUT TO WONDERFUL

With a slow pace that sounds like he’s savoring each word, Norman Dietz tells the post-WWII story of Charlie Beale, a drifter who arrives in the sleepy town of Brownsburg, Virginia, and decides to stay. Although the townspeople are wary of strangers, Charlie wins them over—along with the local butcher, his wife, and his 5-year-old son, Sam. Dietz’s calm style adds to the sensuous descriptions while still creating the feeling that something bad is going to happen. The listener, lulled by Dietz’s tender voice, will feel the horror of the plot’s climax as strongly as young Sam and the people of Brownsburg. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2012]