HALF-LIFE OF A STOLEN SISTER

Tanya Eby performs this unusual fictionalized biography of the Brontë family, particularly Anne, Charlotte, and Emily and their brother, Bramwell. She acts out the various vignettes that imagine the Brontës' lives as children, teens, and then adult writers. The stories are set in time periods that range from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth (long past their lifetimes) and into the 21st century. Eby shifts her sunny voice to reflect the children bouncing with joy, drooping with hunger, and groaning with sorrow as their father is overwhelmed by penury and caring for six children after his wife dies in childbirth. Eby uses a neutral American accent throughout, allowing listeners to ponder anachronisms, contemporary language, and the veracity of this creatively constructed work. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2023]