THE SHAPE OF SNAKES

When "Mad Annie," a black woman who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, dies in a gutter in West London in 1978, it changes the lives of everyone in the neighborhood. Particularly affected is Ann Ranelagh, who, convinced that Annie was murdered, spends the next twenty years trying to prove it. Is this a righteous crusade or a vendetta? And just why does she care so much? Frances Barber uses a wide range of voices, accents, and inflections to highlight the class distinctions and racism that propel this tale by one of Britain's most lauded contemporary crime writers. Judiciously, Barber does not attempt to deepen her voice for male characters, but concentrates on their personalities and nationalities to create memorable aural portraits. Barber is particlarly adept at voicing the violent emotions that drive the story without resorting to verbal excess. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]