GIRL UNDERWATER

The author's experience as a competitive swimmer lends authenticity to this heartrending story, and narrator Julia Whelan delivers it with similar authority. Avery and Colin, teammates on their college swim team, along with three little boys, are the only survivors of a plane crash in the Colorado Rockies. The story is poetic and intense as Avery tells of the struggle to stay alive that follows. Whelan moves smoothly between the days on the mountain, focused on staying alive while awaiting rescue, and the weeks afterwards, focused on recovering from trauma. The voices Whelan gives to the secondary characters--Tim has a lisp, and Colin an accent--are in stark contrast to the emotionless tone she uses for Avery. Whelan's delivery makes the story all the more powerful as the characters encounter the lingering repercussions of their miraculous survival. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2015]