Tony award–winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife
) follows the lead of author O’Neill for his reading of the lauded novel about Dutchman Hans van der Broek and the unusual bond he forms with fellow cricket buff and New York dreamer extraordinaire Chuck Ramkissoon. O’Neill’s crisp, layered narrative and interest in the less-traveled byways of Brooklyn are reflected in Mays’s understated take on Hans’s narration (interestingly, he does not attempt a Dutch accent); Chuck’s light, fruity Caribbean accent; and the denser accent of Chuck’s wife. Mays is nothing if not a talented performer, and while there may be less than meets the eye to O’Neill’s celebrated work, Mays’s reading is a joy. A Pantheon hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 3).
(Sept.)
