A HOME FOR GODDESSES AND DOGS

Patricia Santomasso narrates the first-person story of Lydia, a 13-year-old who cared for her artistic single mother during a long illness, which ended with her death. Santomasso depicts Lydia's contained grief and resignation as she travels to a rural town to live with her mother's sister, Aunt Brat. Lydia is quickly surrounded by the love of Aunt Brat and her wife, Elloroy, their aged landlord, and a large rescue dog. Lydia's classmates accept her readily, but Lydia is quiet and reticent after being homeschooled her whole life, not to mention being haunted by memories of her mother. Santomasso conveys the tension that comes from Lydia's grief, loneliness, and secrets she keeps about the past. Just as strongly, Santomasso captures Lydia's eventual acceptance of the love that surrounds her. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]