Paul Theroux

Collections of short fiction offer a unique opportunity to select pieces that represent many aspects of an author's work. In this anthology listeners will discover the great variety of Theroux's work. Theroux's range of characters, places and relationships, sometimes aloof and sometimes passionate, continually delight and surprise. The three narrators also offer variety. While Susan Anspach and William Windom have more or less the same approach to each selection, David Birney is a virtuoso. In the six pieces he presents, Birney is keenly tuned to each story. He adopts accents as needed and is astute to narrative rhythm. He becomes the author's voice in each instance, no simple feat when he has just presented a totally different set of characters and situations moments before. The entire collection is nicely punctuated with pauses and the cueing of the tapes shows careful production. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine