THE PEOPLE WE KEEP

Julia Whelan is wonderful as April Sawicki, a teenager escaping an abusive home through travels, music, and meeting strangers. Whelan's husky timbre and thoughtful tone draw listeners into April's thoughts, which are mostly filled with self-doubt. Whelan evokes a lot of sympathy for the teenager, who struggles to create her own family from the people she meets. Listeners will be drawn into this story of linked adventures, told in a soft, questioning undertone, thanks to Whelan's light touch with the harsher elements of April's backstory. We are drawn into April's experiences with an intimacy that feels close and personal--and we become invested in what happens to her. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2021]