UNSETTLED GROUND

Narrator Kim Bretton brings the characters in this novel to life with authentic-sounding voices and emotions. Claire Fuller examines lives on the fringes of society--people who are steeped in poverty, isolation, and secrets. Jeanie and Julius, 51-year-old twins who are still living with their mother, Dot, on an isolated English farm, find their lives thrown into disarray when she unexpectedly dies. Bretton fills Jeanie's voice with anger and impatience as she struggles to hang on to her home, understand the mother she thought she knew, and come to terms with her own sense of self. Julius sounds defensive, confused, and frustrated as he sees his opportunity for a fuller life derailed by responsibilities to Jeanie's needs and secrets exposed after Dot's death. Sadly, Bretton's flat delivery of Jeanie's songs detracts from the atmosphere. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2021]