THE WORLD BEFORE US

Although many of the characters in this novel are ghosts, narrator Fiona Hardingham holds the mystical aspects of the tale in check by her gentle, careful performance. Twenty years ago, Jane was babysitting a young girl who disappeared into the woods. Now working at a small museum, Jane researches the disappearance of a woman into those same woods one hundred years earlier. The ghosts of the past are literally around Jane, and listeners hear them bringing a sense of history to the narrative. Hardingham performs them as people who are as real as Jane, since that's how they see themselves. Hunter characterizes Jane as a person of deep introspection, and Hardingham narrates with thoughtful deliberateness. Her sedate pace keeps this magical book sounding true to life. G.D. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2015]