PHANTOMS

Listeners who enjoy a moving historical novel will appreciate Peter Berkrot's narration as two California families are shaped by war, bigotry, and disastrously entangled relationships. Berkrot brings to life the Wilsons and Takahashis, whose lives are forever altered by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Takahashis, tenants of the Wilsons, are sent to an internment camp. Their trauma reverberates for decades to come. Berkrot gives a distinctive persona to each family's matriarch. Mrs. Wilson has a controlled, cold voice. Mrs. Takahashi has a quiet, dignified voice. She embodies the Buddhist virtue of gaman--enduring life's tragedies with grace and patience. The writing is sonorous, evocative, and, at times, overblown, but it will resonate with listeners. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2021]