TREMOR

Atta Otigba and Yetide Badaki give outstanding performances of this imagistic, nonlinear novel. They are grand guides to a world of art, history, and criticism. Badaki has precise diction and a lovely artistic tone with a slight Nigerian lilt. Otigba, also Nigerian, delivers his parts in a powerful and authoritative voice. The narrative switches from one to the other seamlessly. Badaki introduces the protagonist, a photographer and professor of art, who, like the author, teaches at Harvard. The peripatetic novel includes riffs on music and a powerful lecture on J.M.W. Turner's painting SLAVE SHIP. Cole also captures the complexity of love and marriage in this distinctly postmodern work. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2023]