THE AUNT WHO WOULDN'T DIE

Deepti Gupta and Zehra Jane Naqvi team up to narrate this short audiobook about three generations of Bengali women. Gupta performs the sections told from the perspective of Somlata, a poor girl who marries into the once-rich Mitra family. Soon after she joins the household, her husband's widowed aunt dies, only to return in ghost form to pester Somlata. While the elderly woman had few choices in life, Somlata has the power to influence the Mitras' future. In turn, Somlata's daughter, Boshon, performed by Naqvi, provides an even more contemporary viewpoint of women's opportunities. While Gupta's voice is age appropriate, Naqvi's delivery makes Boshon seem younger than her 18 years. Nonetheless, both narrators are expressive and enhance their performances with clear and respectful accents that ground the story in its Southwest Asian setting. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2020]