20 Jan / The Other Americans by Laila Lalami [in Booklist]
Laila Lalami’s stupendous fourth title showcases a chorus of nine Rashomon-esque characters dealing with the hit-and-run death of a Moroccan immigrant diner owner in a California Mojave Desert town. That the novel gets a nine-member full cast (with who’s-who credits at recording’s end!), including some of the industry’s most lauded audio veterans should be a literary gift; alas, as often happens with multiple narrators, consistent characterizations prove distractingly elusive among readers.
Mozhan Marnò leads as Nora, the victim Driss’s younger musician daughter, who pushes the police to further investigate her father’s suspicious death. Marnò’s velvety voice infuses Nora with elegant control. When Adenrele Ojo, who’s ideal as policewoman Coleman, assumes Nora in conversation, she’s unrecognizable as jarringly shrill.
Beyond disjointed overlaps among readers, the individual sections are convincingly well-cast: P.J. Ochlan is Iraq vet Jeremy, who’s never gotten over Nora’s kindness in high school; Ozzie Rodriquez is eyewitness Efraín, too frightened to file a report; Susan Nezami is Driss’ long-suffering wife, Maryam; Ali Nasser is dead man Driss; Mark Bramhall is next-door business owner Anderson; Max Adler is Anderson’s son A.J.; Meera Simhan is Nora’s older sister Salma. They are the Other Americans – victims, perpetrators, survivors.
Review: “Media,” Booklist Online, January 3, 2020
Readers: Adult
Published: 2019