BLACK DAHLIA & WHITE ROSE

Three narrators team up to deliver Oates's intriguing short story collection. Paul Michael Garcia takes on the stories with a male point of view, Coleen Marlo delivers those in the point of view of older women, and Tavia Gilbert narrates for the younger women. This formula gives balance to the collection and helps make each story distinct. All three engagingly portray the psychological, and sometimes physical, hardships depicted in these domestic dramas of contemporary America. Oates's stories are not cheery, nor are they completely dark. They dwell in a twilight of unresolvable real life. The narrators convey this mood with somber readings that reflect the book's intriguing depictions of the not-so-pretty lives we lead. F.T. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2012]