RED HOOD

The second-person point of view can be distancing, but January LaVoy creates such a visceral world for 16-year-old Bisou that the space between listeners and characters fades. In one dramatic evening Bisou experiences the pleasures of sex, her first menstruation, memories of the blood that ended her mother's life, and the terror of a stalking classmate who has taken the form of a wolf. The Little Red Riding Hood story becomes the dark background of a contemporary tale of male toxicity and the celebration of feminine instincts. LaVoy's delivery makes the tension palpable as Bisou fights to save her own life and works to understand her loving grandmother's dark secrets and their connection to hunters of wolves. LaVoy amps up the intensity in a powerful story. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2020]