TIGERS IN RED WEATHER

Katherine Kellgren turns in a powerful performance, channeling the lives of the five principals in this compelling novel. The title, from Wallace Stevens’s “Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock,” reflects the dramatic social changes America experienced after WWII, changes often leading to wrong choices, passionless marriages, and careless morality. As Nick, Kellgren assumes a devil-may-care Gatsby-era hollowness. As her tormented cousin, Helena, Kellgren becomes nervous and tentative, reflecting the disintegration of Helena’s mind. Nick’s daughter Daisy is the perfect ingénue, while her husband, Hughes, a veteran of the war, mirrors the period’s uncertainty. Kellgren’s most ominous character is Helena’s son, Ed, whose flat affect suggests something dangerous. The combination of Liza Klaussmann’s insightful character studies and Kellgren’s artistry makes this exploration of family dynamics engrossing listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2012]