THE WATCH

A modern-day ANTIGONE, complete with a resolute heroine who is determined to bury her brother, this is a story with as many narrators as there are characters. There are the accented tones of Afghani men and women, as well as the Southern twang of a variety of American soldiers and their commanders. It’s an ambitious novel but perhaps more spectacularly so in the audio edition because of the ensemble of voices that brings the story to life. The effect of so many voices increases the tension of the scene at hand: a battle in progress. For those new to audiobooks, the alternating voices may be confusing. But for those who have been listening for a while, these performances are a welcome treat to the ear and the mind. M.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2012]