MISERY

Lindsay Crouse demonstrates chilling versatility in her taut reading of one of King's most suspenseful tales. Writer Paul Sheldon, crippled in a car accident, is rescued by obsessed fan Annie Wilkes, who nurses him in her isolated home. She is obsessed with Sheldon’s series protagonist, Misery Chastain, and will stop at nothing to ensure that he writes another book even though the author has killed off his character. MISERY is a psychological thriller, as much about the relationship of storyteller to story as it is about Paul's desperate need to escape. Crouse's deft handling of Wilkes's tender moments brings us uncomfortably close to the mind of the madwoman. Yet more terrifying is Crouse’s interpretation of the character of Paul, who is at once repelled by his captor and attracted to the strange power that he finds in her obsession with his writing. Crouse’s delivery of King’s dark humor will also have listeners laughing at surprising moments. F.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2009]