Monologist and writer Gray committed suicide in 2004 after a protracted bout with mental illness. Before he died, he had been at work on Life Interrupted
, a monologue about the aftermath of a horrific car accident he suffered while traveling in Ireland. Gray is replaced here by legendary playwright and actor Shepard, who provides a gravelly dignity to Gray's ruminations on illness and death. Shepard does a nice job of pausing between sentences, as if thinking of how best to describe his conundrum. Shepard is joined by novelist Francine Prose, who reads her own lengthy tribute to Gray and eulogies for Gray by figures including filmmaker Aviva Kempner, Gray's stepdaughter Marisa and his widow, Kathleen Russo. Their tributes, given at the time of his death, are far less polished than Gray's own monologue, but as homespun expressions of love and affection in the aftermath of his death, are perhaps the most affecting aspect of this well-wrought tribute to Gray's legacy. Not-so-simultaneous release with the Crown hardcover (Reviews, Aug 1, 2005). (June)
