LAND OF LOVE AND DROWNING

Four narrators perform this complex family saga, set in the Virgin Islands in 1900, just as the republic becomes a U.S. protectorate. Luscious folk tales, superstition, and long stories are a part of life on this tropical island. The story of Captain Owen Arthur Bradshaw unfolds slowly, involving his wife, Antoinette; his daughters, Eeona and Anette; and his son, Jacob Esau, who was conceived with his mistress. The story is told from the perspectives of various characters, but the similarities in their soft, melodic voices make them difficult to differentiate. Incest, births, and deaths are spoken of in matter-of-fact tones, and the story unfolds ponderously. Listeners will be challenged as they sift through the descriptions while searching for the plot. M.B.K. 2015 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2015]