A TEASPOON OF EARTH AND SEA

This is a heartbreaking story of filial love and loss in 1980s Iran. Narrator Sneha Mathan uses subtle tones and a soft voice to take listeners into the emotional world of the protagonist, who is trying to make sense of life without her twin. Mathan capably moves from the character of a young girl to those of older women in the village, realistically portraying each one. Mathan’s changes in pace and pitch demonstrate her control of prose made up of meandering, detailed sentences. Without her careful, deliberate pronunciation, the listener could get tangled up in the many lengthy descriptions. The story is told with a poetic undercurrent of emotion, and the listener will be moved. M.R. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2013]