ALL OUR NAMES

Saskia Maarleveld and Korey Jackson's contrasting voices explore what it means to live in unpredictable settings as this novel unfolds the complex story of two intertwining worlds. The two protagonists, one from Africa and one from the United States, are shaped by another central character, in Africa, whose ideas of change manifest through acts of war. Portraying Isaac, originally from Ethiopia, now in the U.S., Jackson keeps emotion from his voice. Maarleveld's character, Helen, an American from the Midwest, nicknames Isaac Charles Dickens for the formal way he speaks. However, Dickens does not come to mind when Isaac speaks, nor when Maarleveld impersonates him. Maarleveld delivers Helen's perceptions of Isaac with a steadiness and reticence that sometimes conflict with Helen's own self-perceptions. This technique works, offering a bit of mystery to who he truly is. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2014]