When Kyle is killed on 9/11, his sister and ailing father are left reeling. In the year that follows, single mother Cat (the sister) searches for Kyle's orphaned child, and Sam (the father) struggles to reach out to his daughter, as she will soon lose him as well. The chapters in this book are alternately narrated by Mel Foster and Tanya Eby, and the tag-team approach adds interest to this slow-paced story. While Foster's diction is good, it’s occasionally difficult to distinguish his narrative from his characters' dialogue. Eby is more expressive in her delivery, and she provides Cat with a quiet intensity that is fully believable. The result is a pleasant, if not always gripping, audio experience.
Pub Date: June 9, 2009
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ireland’s sensitive performance turns what could have been soap-opera melodrama into a poignant family drama.
Marin Ireland is quite wonderful delivering this audiobook that explores a selfish action taken in the ’70s and its consequences years later. Facing a joyless marriage with a husband who shies away from intimacy, Nina leaves him and her family for a more promising life with her next-door neighbor, Finn. The decision shocks their respective families and has an especially devastating effect on Nina’s teenage daughter, Clara. Ireland handles the many voices with professional skill, but her strongest work lies in conveying the inner thoughts and feelings of the people involved. She brings truth to Nina’s guilt, Finn’s sense of urgency, and the children’s pain and disbelief.
Ireland’s sensitive performance turns what could have been soap-opera melodrama into a poignant family drama.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063377707
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
Reflective and deeply touching, this openhearted story may require having tissues close at hand.
Andrew Grace delivers a restrained yet deeply expressive performance in this tender tale, which chronicles events that shape the Hasegawa family as seen through the eyes of the middle son, Kaoru. At the novel’s center is Sakura, the loyal family dog whose steady presence embodies quiet resilience in the face of the family’s joys and tragedies. Grace’s subtle shifts in tone trace the passage of years, revealing the mother’s quiet suffering; the family’s admiration for Hajime, Kaoru’s older brother; and their adoration of his precocious sister, Miki. At each turning point, Sakura becomes both witness and teacher, steadfastly offering comfort as she absorbs the family’s memories.
Reflective and deeply touching, this openhearted story may require having tissues close at hand.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063389977
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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