THE COLOR MASTER Stories

Whether they're telling the story of a man who pretended to be a war criminal ("The Fake Nazi") or recounting an attempt to determine the color of the moon ("The Color Master"), the narrators of these stories give understated but evocative performances that complement Bender's unsettling and often funny tales. The collection's more surreal elements, such as the sewing of tigers' skin in "Tiger Mending" and the mysteriously appearing knickknacks and food in "Americca," are balanced by the readers' well-paced speech and naturalistic delivery. Especially appealing is the performance of "Lemonade," in which a guileless teenager wonders if she's "racist by accident" during a trip to the mall. E.M. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2013]