THE FOREVER GIRL

Parallel love stories converge on Grand Cayman Island in McCall Smith’s stand-alone novel featuring a husband and wife, David and Amanda, and their children, Clover and James. (As adults, Clover and James are central characters in the author’s renowned Scotland series.) Narrator Susan Lyons performs the island characters with a warm, melodious lilt, recognizably Caribbean in flavor, while giving the American Amanda the appropriate accent. Lyons sweetly applies her skill to the children's voices, as well. Island life appears idyllic until its claustrophobic aspects encroach on relationships, threatening to suffocate joy, love, and aspirations. This story doesn’t have quite the same level of humor and insight into human nature that McCall Smith listeners have come to expect from his other works. A.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2014]