THE LOCALS

This audiobook is both a vibrant snapshot of interconnected lives in a small New England town and a social commentary about inequality and self-preservation. In the opening chapter, narrator Ray Porter intensely portrays a cynical petty criminal in Manhattan who is seeking dishonest opportunities the day after 9/11. George Newbern takes over the narration as the story shifts to a small-town contractor who is also in New York that day. The criminal follows him home to rural Massachusetts. Newbern depicts the protagonist's ingenuous yearning for better luck and reveals his wife's more cynical worldview. When a wealthy financier from the city moves to town, Newbern infuses his dialogue with the hearty superficial tones of a guy who seems too good to be true. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2017]