BEST OF FRIENDS

Tania Rodrigues narrates this audiobook at a crisp clip, with a lovely accent that adds a sense of music. As the title suggests, this novel traces the friendship between two young women from youth to adulthood. Zahra and Maryam begin their story in Pakistan, and later each moves to London and a more expansive life. Rodrigues's performance is perfectly fine--she is a competent narrator, lively and demonstrative--but the audiobook fails to gain its footing as an engrossing story. Despite exposition filled with details, the two central characters never come to life as separate entities. The effect remains flat, and the story seems stuck in a bland place. This is less a carefree snapshot of a friendship than it is a meticulous still-life portrait. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2022]