OUT OF MESOPOTAMIA

Narrator Sean Rohani becomes Saleh, a world-weary Iranian journalist who cannot stop writing about the Syrian conflict. Rohani captures the surreal nature of violence in a dry, somber voice that comes to embody the incessant nature of ongoing war. His delivery is easy on the ears as he streams details of unrest, which contrast with the sounds of peace when Saleh returns to civilian life in Tehran. Listeners have a front-row seat to the effects of PTSD as Saleh tries to assimilate into normal life. Rohani gives a consistent performance, rattling off Saleh's observations like a long list of diary entries. If we are moved to empathy, it is because author and narrator capture the personal and political costs of bearing witness. M.R. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2020]