Church of the Dog

Narrator Kirsten Potter begins this novel in the voice of quirky vegetarian and aura-seeing Mara, who stumbles into a new life as a tenant on a farm. Potter depicts Mara with just the right touch of new-age modernity. Charmed by Mara's oddness are grandparents Earl and Edith, who are believably voiced by Arthur Morey and Kimberly Farr. When grandson Daniel returns home from Alaska, he becomes a romantic interest for Mara. Kirby Heyborne characterizes the pot-smoking, sarcastic Daniel with a hip youthfulness that is appropriate. However, Heyborne gives a bit too much spunk to the dejected young man, who has given up on life. The cast of this production makes its story of rural redemption come to life. J.T. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

April 14, 2008
In this treacly reprint of a novel first published in 2000 (by a now-defunct indie press), Edith and Earl McRae have lived on their Oregon farm for 60 years, but know their time is coming to an end. After a withdrawn Earl discovers a lump in his neck, he struggles to reconnect with his wife and his alienated grandson, Daniel. Into this family tragedy strolls Mara, a chaotic figure who sees auras and appears in other characters’ dreams—in other words, she’s the stereotypical freethinking outsider who opens stoics to the redemptive powers of love. The result is an ersatz inspirational novel that mistakes the characters’ tendencies to natter on about God and ethics and spout goofy New Age-isms for plot or character development.