THE ELEPHANT KEEPERS' CHILDREN

Some novels possess gossamer-thin plot threads running through the centers of their wide-open narratives. So seems to be the case with this novel. The protagonist, Peter, is 14; he and his siblings must join forces when their parents disappear from their home in Denmark. In this audiobook, Kirby Heyborne’s smooth, measured performance is fine, but the narrative thread at the center unravels early on, and the plots meander, stall out, or end, leaving lackluster results. Heyborne is earnest and skilled, but his performance and his vocals are perhaps too ordinary to narrate such a free-form narrative style. Maybe a more forceful or quirky narrator would create more momentum, but as is, the result is not memorable. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2012]