“Fruit of the Drunken Tree.” This moving, terrifying novel by Ingrid Rojas Contreras is set chiefly in Bogota, Colombia, during the 1990s. It is told from the points of view of 7-year-old Chula, from a well-off family, and their maid, Petrona, 13, whose father and older brothers have been “disappeared.” Chula’s worldview is shaped by overheard conversations, broadcasts and her older sister’s erroneous views; Petrona’s by her terrible past and involvement with a young criminal gang member. Bilingual narrators Marisol Ramirez and Almarie Guerra are gifted and deliver the many Spanish phrases with musical grace. (Unabridged, 12½ hours.)
“The Poems of T.S. Eliot.” This collection of poems is narrated by Jeremy Irons and Eileen Atkins. Irons’ narration, beginning with “The Waste Land,” is forlorn, desperate, crabby and weary — mirroring Eliot’s understanding of a desiccated, exhausted culture bereft of meaning. Portions of this long poem are performed by Atkins in a range of styles, from blue-stockinged severity to Cockney garrulousness. The remaining three works, read by Irons alone, are “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” “Four Quartets” and — for those of us with a taste for whimsy — “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” (Unabridged, 3¾ hours)
“The Singularity Trap.” In Dennis E. Taylor’s top-notch outer-space adventure, Ivan, a down-on-his-luck computer programmer, joins an expedition to the asteroid belt and picks up an object left eons ago by an interstellar craft. It begins to colonize his body, and Ivan finds himself in an unwelcome partnership with an alien entity and learns that the fate of humanity depends on his guile. Ray Porter’s narration is simply brilliant. He gives an occasionally rueful, all-American guy’s voice to Ivan and branches out to capture the personalities of the additional characters. (Unabridged, 11⅓ hours)
“The Widows of Malabar Hill.” Sujata Massey’s novel begins a marvelously plotted, richly detailed series set in India in the early 1920s. Bombay’s first female solicitor takes up the case of the three widows of the recently deceased Omar Farid, whose agent is bent on disinheriting them. Soon, she discovers that the women have their own dicey secrets, and a member of the household is murdered. The plot barrels along, picking up cultural complexity. Narrator Soneela Nankani delivers the general narration in a warm American voice and gives the dialogue a trim, restrained Indian accent. (Unabridged, 14½ hours)
“There There.” This debut novel, set chiefly in Oakland, California, takes up three generations of Native American men and women struggling against alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual abuse, obesity, debt and depression. Author Tommy Orange’s richly detailed storylines gradually converge and culminate in a final gotterdammerung at a big Oakland powwow. Four versatile, empathetic actor-narrators — Darrell Dennis, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Alma Ceurvo and Kyla Garcia — bring emotional force, further amplifying the strong voices already present on the page. (Unabridged, 8 hours)
Katherine A. Powers reviews audiobooks for The Washington Post.
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