THE NIGHT BATTLES

Troubled anthropologist Joan Severance, daughter of a Sicilian photographer and an American archaeologist, returns to Sicily to study in the archives of Valaparuta when her academic career in the U.S. self-destructs. Carrington MacDuffie artfully portrays the antagonistic Joan and a cast of enigmatic Sicilians, with their secrets of the BENANDANTI, an ancient cult that battles evil witches to ensure a bountiful harvest. The evocative writing and the dreamlike nature of the story, set mostly amid the quiet of the archives and the crumbling splendor of Joan’s hotel, make for perfect audio. Somehow what is real and what is not no longer seem important. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]