Love and Other Words

Narrator Erin Mallon skillfully performs this story of friendship, loss, and possible second chances. The plot alternates between the past--as it follows the teen friendship of bookish Macy and nerdy Elliot--and the present, when, as adults, the pair meet by chance after a decade without communication. Mallon infuses her soft delivery with strong personalities, smoothly changing her tone to match the age and maturity of the characters. Mallon's top-notch narration, however, cannot compensate for the hard-to-believe reveal at the end of the novel. Additionally, listeners should be prepared for the extra-long pauses separating the chapters, which may pull them out of the story. Nonetheless, Mallon conveys Macy's and Elliot's tangled emotions well and guards the mystery surrounding their estrangement. C.B.L. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine