THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS

From the first words Alex Jennings speaks, we experience a distinct sense of unease. His seductive voice draws us into the secret hearts of Colin and Mary. They are on vacation in sultry Venice. They sleep in separate beds. They are bored. They wander carelessly down ancient deserted streets late at night. They keep getting lost. They meet a mysterious stranger who keeps turning up and eventually go home with him. Can they be this innocent? But Colin and Mary are not naïfs. We begin to realize that they are intoxicated by the possibility of danger. Jennings's performance is mesmerizing. McEwan's novella is an offbeat headgame played by two couples--a couple of addled tourists and a couple of dissolute, over-bred Europeans--with grotesque consequences. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]