The Folded Earth

In the Himalayas of northern India, Maya—whose husband recently died in a mountain-climbing accident—travels to the small town of Ranikhet to assume a teaching position and find solace. There she begins to teach a peasant named Charu to read and write—an effort to help the young girl secretly communicate with her lover, a cook employed in Delhi. But Maya’s efforts to find peace are quickly disrupted—by her past, an unexpected love affair, local politics, and sectarian violence. This audio edition is skillfully performed by Sneha Mathan, whose narration is crisp, engaging, and even slightly soothing. She creates a host of unique voices for the book’s characters, employing appropriate accents and dialects, deepening her voice for male characters, and ably capturing the essence of the diverse cast. A Free Press paperback. (Apr.)