THE LIFE TO COME

In this globe- and decade-spanning audiobook, author de Kretser follows a collection of loosely connected characters, most of them Australian immigrants or émigrés. As the novel travels from Australia to Sri Lanka and France, and back to Australia, narrator Shiromi Arserio capably moves through a wide range of accents. Pippa, a moderately successful, moderately talented author, is the through line, but de Kretser is more interested in the complexities and contradictions of contemporary life and relationships than the story of any single character. The sizable cast can be difficult to track, and Arserio's consistent inflection does not always provide clues. Her wry delivery, however, perfectly captures the cutting observations about contemporary life. E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2018]