My Absolute Darling

June 26, 2017
Room meets Rambo in this emotionally fraught first novel. Fourteen-year old Julia “Turtle” Alveston is growing up in Northern California, near Mendocino, under the overprotective eye of her abusive father, Martin, who, for all intents and purposes treats her like they live in a two-person survivalist camp—he teaches her how to shoot and hunt in the wild, and abuses and sexually molests her. Even though she goes to school, Turtle feels cut off from her fellow middle-school students until the day she meets Jacob, a high school student whose sudden appearance in her life forces her to question for the first time the way she’s being raised. Martin adds a new member to the family, which forces Turtle to make a bold move to keep his history of abuse from repeating itself, leading to a suspenseful and bloody climax at a teenage house party. In Turtle, Tallent has crafted a resourceful and resilient character. Unfortunately, Martin is such an obvious psycho creep that readers will wonder why the characters he interacts with—Turtle’s teachers, a friend from the old days—don’t see through him. Jacob, too, in the dialogue the author puts in his mouth, doesn’t sound like a real teenager. In the end, though, Turtle’s story is harrowingly visceral.

Alex McKenna's performance of Tallent's disturbing debut novel is likely to incite goose bumps and nightmares. Fourteen-year-old Turtle is being raised by her mentally unstable and abusive father, a survivalist. Through her impassioned delivery, McKenna convinces listeners of the strength of Turtle's love for the man who mistreats her as well as the disdain she harbors for herself. Equally persuasive is Turtle's gradual overcoming of internal conflict as her grandfather, a teacher, and a friend counter the negative influence of her dad and show Turtle her potential, which is ultimately put to the test. The story doesn't skimp on graphic detail, and McKenna never shies away from it, so some listeners may struggle to finish, but those who do will experience a dynamic, admirable young character. J.F. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 30, 2017
Voice-over actor McKenna delivers a chilling rendering of Tallent’s debut novel, which depicts the horrific abuse and neglect of a preteen girl on the rugged Northern California coast. McKenna masterfully inhabits the inner monologue of young Julia “Turtle” Alveston with a husky, quivering voice that manages to portray both self-loathing pain and steely determination. McKenna switches between the male and female characters with ease, most notably in the interactions between Turtle and her abusive father, Martin. McKenna captures equal parts regret and concern in giving voice to Turtle’s gruff, alcoholic paternal grandfather. She also shines in her delivery of Turtle’s love interest Jacob, a boy from a wealthy family whose precocious intellect parallels Turtle’s own sense of being different from her peers. McKenna portrays the conversations between these young characters as natural and plausible. McKenna deepens the story with spot-on vocal renderings of the protagonist and her peers; both Turtle and Jacob sound simultaneously young and advanced for their age. A Riverhead hardcover.