THE WISDOM OF SALLY RED SHOES

Elaine Claxton narrates the hopeful story of Masha, a grieving mother starting to learn to live again with the help of some strange and wonderful people in her life. After losing her son 12 earlier, Masha spends her time at the local pool, practicing drowning and reading the history of mourning so that someday she can lead tours in a local cemetery. It will take a strange opera singer in red shoes to help break Masha out of her grief. Claxton expertly captures a balance of sorrow and hopefulness in her depiction of Masha, while deftly jumping between portrayals of a cancer patient on the edge of madness, a mildly unhinged former opera singer, and even a geriatric bombshell. V.B. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2019]