RATS SAW GOD

A distant relationship with his divorced father, whom he refers to as "The Astronaut," combined with the betrayal of his first serious girlfriend, sends Steve York running off to live with his mother. There he begins to do drugs and fail in school. The only way he'll graduate on time is to complete a 100-page paper. This touching, funny, coming-of-age story has received rave reviews, and the audiobook lives up to the print version. Utterly convincing as a 17-year-old, Heller captures perfectly adolescent attitudes, mannerisms and sarcasm. The decision not to differentiate the characters' voices makes sense for a novel that is constructed as an autobiography. The pacing and tempo never drag, and the humor is particularly effective, more in the listening than the reading. S.S.R. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 97]