Galore

Along the northern coast of Newfoundland, a mute albino man emerges from the belly of a beached humpback whale. As the mystery man, christened Judah by the locals, settles into Paradise Deep, many questions persist, among them: will the stranger bring death or life to the remote village? Spanning two centuries, the novel charts the lives of Judah and his neighbors, documenting their stories of love and loss%E2%80%94some of which involve ghosts, mermaids, and the similarly unreal. The book's non-linear structure and lack of a main conflict or protagonist may prove challenging to some listeners. Although John Lee's narration, with his unrecognizable accent, gives the story an appropriately mythic and eerie tone, his cadence and lilting inflection often add to listener confusion, making it difficult to determine when characters enter and exit a scene. This intriguing story might be better suited to book form, as listeners may end up getting hopelessly lost in the severe and fantastic world of Paradise Deep. An Other paperback. (Mar.)