Delicious Foods: A Novel

Hannaham proves to be just as savvy a voice narrator as he is an author, bringing the story to life in the audio edition of his latest literary tome. His performance is a memorable one. It’s roughly divided between two distinct voices: an elegant, deep tone Hannaham employs for straight narration, and the fast-talking, hilarious, street-infused inflections of Scotty, the personified voice of crack cocaine. Hannaham clearly has fun with Scotty, so much that listeners will begin to feel the seductive pull of the drug and the intimate, exclusive relationship it promises. Along the way Hannaham shows off a warm, graceful singing voice when he briefly portrays a musician turned wino. He gives depth to his main characters, including the resourceful tween Eddie and his mother, Darlene, whose downfall over the course of the novel takes her from a life as a respectable college graduate to a crack-addicted slave on a modern plantation. A first-class performance of a darkly satirical novel. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Mar.)