Traci Kato-Kiriyama's narration of this Japanese novel is subtle. She successfully keeps the listener in a state of confusion and curiosity in the face of pervasive dread. Ogawa's audiobook unfolds from the point of view of an unnamed woman who notices items in her world going missing, along with people's memories of them and the meanings attached to those memories. The existential implications build as whole concepts disappear, as well. In one affecting scene, the loss of calendars has implications for a birthday party. The "police" of the title enforce the "rules," which are explained as the story progresses, but listeners are left to interpret their true purpose. Appropriately, Kato-Kiriyama's voice doesn't step beyond the boundaries of the nameless narrator, who is experiencing a diminishing world while approaching an ominous ending. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2019]
Trade Ed. Random House Audio 2019
DD ISBN 9780525634270 $20.00
Library Ed. Books on Tape 2019
DD ISBN 9780525634287 $76.00
Get our FREE Newsletter and discover a world of audiobooks.
Let us recommend your next great audiobook!
No algorithms here!
We pick great audiobooks for you.
Sign up for our free newsletter with audiobook love from AudioFile editors.
If you are already with us, thank you! Just click X above.