MOTHER OF PEARL

There's incest, religion, voodoo, philosophy, family troubles, politics, death and birth, true love, and--of course--plenty of sex. This Oprah Book Club selection is a good, old-fashioned soap opera, but a splendidly written one. Melinda Haynes crams her small-town, mid-century setting with fascinating, well-voiced characters, black and white. Their very names show Haynes's craft with words: Valuable Korner, Even Grade, Joody Two Son. Reader Nana Visitor brings every one of them to vigorous life. Curiously, Visitor, best known as a cast member of "Deep Space Nine," severely restricts the range of pitch and inflection in the narrative. But her skill with dialogue, and the powerful writing itself, compensate for that minor cavil. S.P. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 00]