Upstate

UPSTATE is a rare audio find whose voices linger in the mind long after its final chapter. The novel consists of letters passing between Natasha and Antonio, young lovers separated by distance and later by time and personal growth. When Antonio is sent to an upstate prison for killing his father, he must adjust to a different kind of life, and Natasha must continue hers without her first love. The story is compelling, especially since it's told from such personal points of view. What makes the audiobook particularly outstanding is the way Chadwick Boseman and Heather Simms bring the characters to life. Listeners can hear them grow and change letter by letter, thanks to Buckhanon's words and the narrators' talented voices. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2006 Audie Award Winner (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

November 22, 2004
Like any good love story, this one's riddled with conflict from the get-go. Antonio and Natasha, two Harlem teenagers, are deeply in love with each other, but their relationship is put to the test when Antonio goes to jail just before their senior year for killing his father, a crime he may or may not have committed. Written in the form of letters between Antonio and Natasha, Buckhanon's debut novel captures the young lovers' anger, hope and frustration. "I got even more down too when my peoples came to visit me... Still young, still fresh with them shiny eyes and bright faces.... And all I could think while looking at you all at the same time I was looking at me was I look old, I look sad, I look used," laments Antonio in one letter. As the years pass, of course, both of their lives alter dramatically, and their feelings for each another inevitably change as well. The letters are fluent, candid and colloquial, though occasionally readers may crave dialogue and a fresh point of view. Still, this is a moving, uplifting story of love and hope in the face of adversity. Agent, Tracy Sherrod. (Jan. 13)

Forecast:
Blurbs from Sapphire and Dorothy Allison and an eight-city author tour should help get this promising first novel off to a good start.