The Transcriptionist

Sands beautifully captures the odd life of the haunted lead character in Rowland’s novel. Lena is something of an anomaly: she is a transcriptionist for the Record, a major New York newspaper. Her job is to transcribe bits of information phoned in by reporters to be used in upcoming stories. A chance encounter with a woman who later commits suicide causes Lena to becomes intrigued by and gradually obsessed with the woman. Sands gives a quiet, subdued performance that beautifully captures the complex, lonely protagonist. She keeps her characterizations to a minimum. It’s a subtle performance that pulls the listener solidly into Lena’s world. Sands’s performance, like Lena, is mesmerizing in its seeming simplicity. Listeners will discover that these still waters do, indeed, run deep. An Algonquin hardcover. (May)