BANNED BOOKS CLUB

Brenda Novak's latest audiobook looks at how secrets and trauma can impact lives and relationships for years. Amy McFadden's narration holds the listener's attention, even as characters' voices often meld into each other. Her strength is in expressing the strong emotions of the varied characters through their dialogue. At the request of her sister, Margot, Gia Rossi returns home to Wakefield, Iowa, to help care for their dying mother. Gia's arrival dredges up old divisions that formed when she accused her English teacher of sexual assault. Margot has ulterior motives for wanting Gia home in Iowa, which add a new layer of trauma. The banned book club has met since high schooler Gia established it 17 years earlier, but don't expect banned books to be part of the story. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]