THE TRAGEDY PAPER

A classic love triangle, a marked man, literary references, and boarding school traditions permeate LaBan's debut novel. Duncan, a senior who has just transferred to Irving School, receives a gift from Tim, the senior who lived in his room last year--a set of CDs documenting Tim's version of a tragic event Duncan was a part of. The dual narrative-- Tim's story through the CDs and Duncan's in current time-- is an interesting premise, though it's sometimes difficult to follow. Narrators Nick Chamian and Jesse Bernstein sound too similar in their deliveries. Their even-toned, unembellished reading may or may not play into the novel's theme. An air of mystery prevails, yet few clues are provided, and it's a waiting game to the revelation of the tragedy. E.A.B. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2013]