cover image The Beginner’s Goodbye

The Beginner’s Goodbye

Anne Tyler, read by Kirby Heyborne. Random House Audio, unabridged, six CDs, 6.5 hrs., $35 ISBN 978-0-307-96914-9

In Tyler’s latest novel, a physically disabled man named Aaron is devastated when his wife, Dorothy, is killed in a freak accident. As he tries to pick up the pieces of his life, Dorothy begins to appear to him from beyond the grave. Narrator Kirby Heyborne turns in a workmanlike performance in this compelling audio edition. Heyborne is sensitive and believable in his rendition of quirky, polite, and antisocial Aaron, who struggles to understand how to function after his wife’s death, while also facing painful truths about the ups and downs of his marriage. Heyborne’s nuanced narration captures the protagonist’s emotional growth, his grief, and the ways he is able to better understand himself and his needs. A Knopf hardcover. (Apr.)