A HUNDRED SUNS

Tanabe's sweeping historical fiction is set in 1930s Indochine (today's Vietnam) as the French colony deals with growing unrest. Angela Dawe and Emily Ellet are up to the challenge of narrating the story. They give believable voices to the two main characters, Jessie and Marcelle, and to a large cast of French and Asian characters. American Jessie has worked hard to hide her poor, rural Virginia past and re-create herself. Dawe does a good job of burying her accent except on the rare occasions when she revisits her unhappy childhood in her mind. Ellet voices Marcelle's privileged French upbringing in every syllable she utters. Supporting characters--from Michelin-heir- and-husband Victor to Indochine millionaire Khoi and the loyal Lanh--add depth and texture. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]