THE SECRET SKY

Narrators Ariana Delawari and Assaf Cohen fully inhabit the vulnerability and uncertainty of present-day Afghanistan teenagers Fatima and Sami as they slowly fall into a love forbidden by both family and society. Delawari and Cohen dramatize both characters’ internal monologues as they process their feelings of love and fear. Cohen also voices Sami’s cousin, Rashid, a product of radical Islamic indoctrination who believes that the runaway lovers must be punished. Cohen deftly distinguishes between candid Sami and Rashid, who is fueled by rage and obsession that he has come to see as truth. When narrating the novel’s most horrific scenes, the narrators never overplay the tragedy but commit fully to the heartbreaking lines of dialogue, forcing listeners to engage with the important and difficult subject matter. E.M.C. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2015]