cover image Swim Back to Me

Swim Back to Me

Ann Packer, read by Fred Sanders, Cassandra Campbell, Rebecca Lowman, Kathe Mazur, Mark Deakins, and Kirsten Potter. Random House Audio, unabridged, six CDs, 7.5 hrs., $35 ISBN 978-0-307-87792-5

Six narrators perform this collection of short stories with compassionate, sensitive readings. The standout is Kirsten Potter, whose wry, ironic tone perfectly fits her narration as a woman recalling her quirky family history as she plays peacemaker to her estranged parents at her brother's wedding. Kathe Mazur also does well in evoking the anxiety of a woman whose new husband does not come home, and her anger and confusion on discovering that he has a habit of simply "disappearing" for days without telling anyone. But all the narrators do exemplary jobs in conveying the rich layers in these nuanced slice-of-life tales. A Knopf hardcover. (Apr.)