BY NIGHTFALL

Peter Harris, a second-tier art dealer in Manhattan, has worries, especially about the upcoming visit of his much younger, very beautiful, drug-addicted brother-in-law, Mizzy. Already caught between artist and buyer, between wife and daughter, between youth and middle age, Peter is further conflicted by the presence of Mizzy, who opens the doors of possibility. Peter now thinks about escaping limbo. What is signaled in print through the use of design elements, narrator Hugh Dancy does through his voice: A change in inflection, a slight questioning, a hesitation, or an increase in speed alerts the listener to a switch from stream of consciousness to public dialogue, from narrative description to personal conversation. Dancy's reading brings authenticity to Peter's emotional journey, saving it from self-indulgence. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2010]