WHAT THE DEAF-MUTE HEARD

This story about an orphan who spends a lifetime posing as a deaf-mute in a small, Georgia town may be too loaded with contrivance for everyone's taste. But if you're willing to suspend your belief, the narrative may be interesting enough, and certainly Whitener is an enjoyable companion for the journey. He has a gentle, amiable Southern accent, which pleasantly lends itself to storytelling. He runs into trouble only once, saddling one character with a ludicrous and unconvincing New York accent in a wrongheaded attempt to imbue him with "Jewishness." That offensive misstep aside, Whitener's likability as a narrator enriches this tale about secrets long held in a Southern town. M.O. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAR 97]