A Long Time Gone

Three experienced narrators bring to life the Walker women of Indian Mound, Mississippi. Vivien Walker--estranged from her family, recently divorced, and dependent on antidepressants--returns to her family home in the Delta. With, first, her late Grandmother Bootsie and, now, her mother in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease, Vivian must come to grips with her past and decide her future. Listeners learn of Bootsie's life in the 1920s, which is recounted in a sweet Southern accent by Jennifer Ikeda. Pilar Witherspoon delivers mother Carol Lynne's story of her rebellious years in the 1960s. And Susan Bennett uses flat tones to describe Vivien's difficulties as well as the present-day events. Shifting narrators, chapters, and time periods make the story difficult to follow. M.B.K. 2015 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine