THE BIRDCATCHER

Adenrele Ojo narrates this oddly tantalizing novel by the acclaimed Black author Gayl Jones. In a series of vignettes, it follows the intertwined lives of three members of the Black elite: Catherine Shugar, an abstract artist and sculptor; Ernest, her husband, a respected science writer; and Amanda Wordlaw, a travel writer and onetime author of erotic fiction. It is the clear, sane voice of Amanda who tells the story and intrigues us with the antics of Catherine, who tries to murder her husband every time she is released from a mental institution. Ojo gives Catherine a frenetic, high-pitched voice that makes her seem girlish and charming. Ojo propels this story forward with her dramatic timing and wows listeners with characters who are unique and appalling yet captivating. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2022]