WHY ARE YOU SO SAD?

This not quite credible literary novel about depression is read by author Jason Porter in muted, flat tones that are appropriate to the content but not exactly riveting to a listener. Raymond Champs, the main character, concocts and distributes to his fellow corporate employees a survey containing questions like "Are you for the chemical elimination of all things painful?" and "Is today worse than yesterday?" Raymond's colleagues actually respond to the questions, something that seems unlikely to happen outside of fiction. There's not a whole lot of plot here--the story is mostly about a state of mind. Porter's performance is fine for this audiobook, with its limited demand for emotional or character range. G.S.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2014]