CHILEAN POET

Gisela Chìpe does a beautiful job narrating this touching--and at times hilarious--novel about fatherhood. The story takes place in Maipú, Chile, and shifts between the 1990s and the present day, centering on aspiring poet Gonzalo and his stepson, Vicente. Gonzalo helps raise Vicente for several years but suddenly goes to New York. Later, when Gonzalo returns to Chile, he reconnects with Vicente, now a young adult. Vicente, once a precocious child, wants to become a poet. The bond between stepfather and stepson is touching. Curiously, a story that focuses on two men is narrated by a woman. Chìpe does an impressive job of giving each character a distinct voice. She masterfully switches from English to English with a Spanish accent to Spanish with no accent. A.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2022]