THE MAID'S VERSION

Listeners may want to forget about the plot of this book and just enjoy the fine writing and performance. This short novel about a 1929 Missouri dance hall explosion that killed 42 people is a series of brief vignettes and is difficult to follow on audio. The writing is beautiful, however, and narrator Brian Troxell's interpretation, touched by a bit of an accent, is outstanding. His rendition of Alma, a maid townsfolk consider crazy who understands much about the explosion, is outstanding. Her pinched voice fits her curmudgeonly personality. Troxell renders other characters cleanly, and the plot does come together in the end. Troxell and author Daniel Woodrell keep listeners interested, if not fully comprehending, until then. G.S.D. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2013]