FLY AWAY HOME

Weiner brings domestic crises of infidelity and personal identity to the fore in her new novel. Judith Light narrates with soft, even tones, barely shifting intonation as the story moves among its three main characters: Sylvie Serfer, whose life spins out of control when the press discovers that her husband, a senator, is having an affair, and her two daughters, Lizzie, a recovering addict, and Diana, a capable emergency room physician. Light deftly portrays the three women as they learn to appreciate and support each other in the face of life’s surprises, good and bad. Yet the evenness of Light’s reading also suggests a lack of emotional engagement with the story, which distances the listener from Weiner’s carefully crafted characters and intricate plot. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2010]