Travels in the Scriptorium

This enigmatic interrogation into the life of the sequestered and nameless protagonist referred to as Mr. Blank will leave some listeners perplexed and others awestruck by Auster’s manipulative narrative devices. Trapped within a room, Mr. Blank tries to recall who he is as a host of people from his past visits him. As usual, Hill performs fantastically with much energy and emotion. His edgy gravelly voice is tempered with a range of intensity that will grip listeners. Yet this doesn’t deter him from a softer tone when vocalizing women or revealing a more sentimental element of the story. The only problem with Hill’s voice is that his pitch ranges drastically, even in the same sentence. The sound engineers need to pay close attention and level it out. Otherwise, listeners are left constantly turning up and down the sound. Simultaneous release with the Holt hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 16). (Mar.)