THE STEADY RUNNING OF THE HOUR

Justin Go’s extraordinary novel is a tale of a wandering American’s discovery of a tragic WWI love story and a 1920s expedition to Mount Everest. It would be wonderful in any format, but narrator Steve West's excellent performance adds texture to the story. West has a strong, clear voice and a cultured British accent that evokes Cambridge, the tragic war, and the imperial mountaineering story. There’s a fertile tension between West’s performance and the sometimes callow first-person account of the young American protagonist. West’s pace is perfect, and his character dialogue is easy to follow. His accents—English, French, German, Swedish, and Icelandic—provide ambiance without being distracting. This is truly worth a listen. F.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]