HEALER

A free clinic for migrant workers is at the center of this gripping story, ably read by Alyssa Bresnahan. Dr. Claire, struggling to hold her family together, takes a job at the clinic, and soon the problems of her clients threaten to dwarf her own. Listeners hear the anguish of Miguela, who has lost her daughter, and the reluctance of those who are sick but can’t afford to miss work, as well as the tensions between Claire, her unemployed husband, and her 14-year-old daughter. Spanish speakers struggling with English and vice versa ring true, as do the descriptions of the process involved in bringing a drug to market. Listeners will be hoping for a happy ending, with healing on many levels. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2010]