SILENT TO THE BONE

What if your best friend were to stop talking one day after a terrible accident? What might you do if your friend were charged with causing his infant sister to slip into a coma? Howard McGillin's measured reading of Connor Kane's first-person narration lends credibility to the events he relates while simultaneously keeping the listener at an emotional distance that the text itself may not require. Connor recounts his journey to untangle the mystery that has stolen his friend's words. Everyday, at the Clarion County Juvenile Behavioral Center, he visits his friend. Gradually, he relates pieces of the mystery he uncovers: the infatuation and semi-sexual encounters with the seductive British au pair, Vivien; the neglect and mistreatment of the baby; the final life-threatening abuse. This is an intelligent, though not powerful, performance. T.B. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 01]