THE AGE OF MIRACLES

Is Emily Janice Card's slow, measured narration a deliberate reflection of the slowing of the Earth's rotation that forms the backdrop of this novel? Card speaks even more slowly when she's portraying Real Timers, people who are trying to let their bodies’ circadian rhythms adjust to the new longer days and nights, and it's incredibly effective. The story unfurls like one endless summer day as protagonist Julia enters her own age of miracles, balancing on the cusp of young adulthood and watching her family's ordinary dramas unfolding in extraordinary times. Card's mild, young voice suits Julia, and it softens some of the horrors she and everyone else on the planet experience—mysteriously dying birds and whales, the sun's radiation let loose, a wholly uncertain future. J.M.D. 2013 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2012]