Light in August

September 26, 2011
Narrator Will Patton delivers a compelling performance in this audio version of Faulkner’s classic novel of tangled racial and sexual relations in the American South that traces the stories of pregnant Lena Grove, searching for the father of her unborn child; a bootlegger named Joe Christmas; and the Rev. Gail Hightower. Capturing the spirit of the text, Patton’s narration is expertly paced, rich, and hypnotic. He ably handles the tricky cadence of Faulkner’s prose—and the racial slurs that riddle the story—narrating with a honeyed drawl that is undercut by brutal frankness. There are a few moments when Patton overacts and fails to allow the author’s words to take center stage. However, Faulkner fans will likely overlook what amounts to a minor flaw in this otherwise
enjoyable listen. A Random House /Vintage International paperback.

It's impossible to overstate the difficulties facing Will Patton as he undertakes a reading of this Faulkner classic. It's not simply the matter of conveying early-twentieth-century Southern backwoods dialects. That, a skilled mimic with an exceptional ear like Patton masters easily. But this novel's demands are so much more arduous, requiring a narrator to plumb the depths of despair, hopelessness, faith, rage, and yearning that go on for page after page without letup. To maintain that intensity, to stay true to the uncompromising vision of the author, that is the test for the narrator in this reading, and Patton never falters, never gives an inch himself. His passion is like the current of a surging river, and his performance as authentic and timeless as Faulkner's Mississippi dirt. A stunning achievement. M.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine