NEAP TIDE

Jessica Sorenson hires a small cottage by the sea in order to reshape her life .She thinks the quiet will bring her peace, but there is no quiet, and her past comes rushing after her, continuing to haunt her. While Natalie Bate handles the dialogue in dramatic form, her lack of enthusiasm in the narrative leaves the listener all alone to fathom the meaning of the Australian figures of speech, the relationship between Jessica and the huge cast of characters she meets, and the reason their voices change from one paragraph to the next. Ultimately, as Bate continues her lackluster reading, the listener loses interest. J.P. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]