Fall

A multivoiced performance often works well for a novel with multiple points of view, such as this one. Andy Paris, Tony Ward, and Stafford Clark-Price ably handle the voices of a number of students who attend Canada's most exclusive boarding school. Particularly strong are the two main characters: Clark-Price portrays the poetic Julius, capturing both his energy and his awe of his stunningly smart girlfriend, Fall. Andy Paris depicts Julius's roommate, Noel. Paris's cold, erudite tenor takes on a chilling quality as Noel's envy, obsession, and sinister nature are gradually revealed. Other characters add to the picture of a sexually charged adolescent world. When Fall suddenly goes missing, students are shocked, and fantasies abound regarding what may have happened to her. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

April 20, 2009
A tense literary whodunit set in a prestigious Canadian boarding school, McAdam's second novel (after Some Great Thing
) delivers suspense and cunning psychological insight. Chapters alternate between the recollections of Noel, a coldly intelligent loner, and the stream-of-consciousness of Julius, a handsome, popular athlete whose girlfriend, Fall, vanishes one day. Unstated but implicit is Fall's fate at the hands of one of the boys, but, as in many literary mysteries, the plot is secondary to the graceful prose and characterizations. The male characters are drawn with precision; Fall less so, as befits their objectification of her, though the relationship between Fall and Julius is depicted with a bittersweet charm. Julius's point of view is particularly well-done, conveying the inner turmoil of a lovestruck teenager. Noel's memories of their senior year, meanwhile, subtly reflect his emotional distance from others while suggesting a solution to the crime. The book is pleasingly paced and absorbing, and likely to appeal to fans of Arturo Perez-Reverte and Jess Walter.