COMMITMENT

This coming-of-age audiobook explores the impact of mental illness on a barely functional family. The sometimes gravelly, sometimes velvety voice of Xe Sands chronicles the lives of the three Aziz siblings, their friends, lovers, role models, and, most importantly, their mother. She is single, struggling with depression, and slowly losing her grip on reality. Sands matches her voice not to the outward attributes of a character but to their inner self. The story is set primarily in California in the 1970s. Some listeners may find it to be long and the writing uneven, but the Aziz family comes across as relatable, likable, and worthy of attention. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2023]