THY NEIGHBOR

Edoardo Ballerini perfectly captures the patronizing, pretentious, angry, disdainful, egotistical, and vainglorious Nick Walsh, a complicated 34-year-old drunk and loser. When his parents died in a murder/suicide, he was catapulted into a life of excess that has culminated in spying on his neighbors, all of whom are just about as damaged as he is. Ballerini's dark, authoritative performance features crisp intonation and considerable acting skills. However, the story is a fatuous display of crude language, expansive vocabulary, and tedious litany of haughty views on a multitude of subjects—all wrapped in a story line that is disturbing, with characters even a mother couldn’t love. An exceptional narration. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2012]