THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING

Published to critical acclaim in 1984, Kundera's complex novel continues to intrigue and confound. Kundera uses the upheaval of Czechoslovakia in the 1960s to explore the insignificance, the lightness, of human existence. In an appealing performance, Richmond Hoxie lets his subtle use of inflection and tempo deliver the necessary action and character differentiation. For the passages of philosophical and political musings that interrupt the romantic plot, he employs a suitably pensive tone. Hoxie's mellow voice and skilled pacing provide a steady guide as the characters move through tortured relationships and situations seeking the purpose that will make their lives bearable. The political landscape that defines this book has changed, of course, but the story remains timely because the search for life's meaning has not. M.O.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2012]