The Book of Daniel

E.L. Doctorow's nonlinear plot poses a challenge for narrator Mark Deakins, who nonetheless imparts an impressive range of characters. His strong performance seizes each moment of Daniel Isaacson's shambles of a life. When he was a child, his parents--characters based on the real-life Julius and Ethel Rosenberg--were executed for conspiring to steal atomic secrets for the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Deakins traces Daniel's coming to terms with the historical context of his loss and provides flawless shifts in Daniel's emotions and perspective. But, as an audiobook, the story is difficult to follow, particularly its time shifts. This novel is a lesson in leftist politics, judgmental attitudes, and public perception, which changed dramatically over the years, leaving Daniel grasping for meaning in a world increasingly indifferent to his parents' sacrifice. A.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine