A REAL DAUGHTER

Narrator Emily O'Brien credibly portrays a woman with a tenuous grasp on reality. After Claire's baby dies, she leaves her marriage, moves to L.A., and begins life anew. She continues to bake birthday cakes, buy Christmas gifts, and imagine that her daughter, Sarah, is still alive. O'Brien is convincing when Claire remarries a man whose daughter is almost the same age as her Sarah, expecting that her stepdaughter, Mandy, will help her put the past away. Instead, Mandy's manipulative, spiteful behaviors throw Claire's delicate stability into a nightmarish tailspin. O'Brien's performance of Claire and her real and imaginary daughters is appropriately disturbing. Her chillingly normal narration of Lynne McKelvey's original, provocative plot and Claire's frightening plunge into mental illness will keep listeners guessing until the thrilling conclusion. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2020]