THE CLEMATIS TREE

The title refers to a foundering vine that finds its strength by climbing onto the skeletal remains of a once cherished tree, thereby offering the beauty of the past and present to all who view it. The novel itself tells of a family traumatized by an accident that has rendered their 4-year-old son brain-damaged and paralyzed. Carole Boyd removes her own self from the startling events that assault the characters. Her choice to report the action without editorializing makes her performance one of excellence. Because of the subject matter--death, maiming, and euthanasia--the shocks that arrive in the novel are better handled if one is not at the wheel of a car. An excellent production with highly dramatic content. J.P. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]