ITALIAN SHOES

Living on an island with two ancient pets and a colony of ants intent on devouring his dining room table, 66-year-old former surgeon Fredrik Welin finds that his life is as frozen as the sea that surrounds him. He receives neither mail nor visitors, and he daily chops a hole in the ice and takes a punishing morning bath to remind himself he's alive. This icy idyll ends with the unexpected appearance of Harriet, the lover he abandoned in his youth. In tones that blend ennui and ironic awareness, Henry Strozier blends the details of Welin's self-imposed exile with a portrait of his unwillingness to face his own humanity. Swedish author Henning Mankell, known for his Kurt Wallander mystery series, offers a rich, thoughtful reflection on human isolation and redemption. Strozier's controlled, nontheatrical performance is a perfect fit. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2010]