LETTER TO LOUIS

Narrator Eve Webster lays bare the frustrations and joys she encounters as the mother of a disabled child. White's first child, Louis, was born prematurely after receiving incompetent prenatal care. It takes two years for a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Some service providers are maddeningly idiotic. A shoe clerk refuses to sell them a pair of shoes because Louis can't walk so she can't check the fit, and Webster effectively voices White's disbelief and anger. Other moments are joyful and hilarious--when Louis unexpectedly walks, he swears a blue streak at the same time. Webster perfectly expresses the lightness and gratitude of those moments. Her British accent is charming, and her tone is warm. But you can feel the exhaustion experienced by families with monumental challenges but a dearth of services available. A.B. 2019 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2019]