An Unfinished Life

October 4, 2004
Audio reviews reflect PW
's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version.
Fiction
AN UNFINISHED LIFE
Mark Spragg
, read by Tony Amendola and Judith Marx. HighBridge Audio
, unabridged, six CDs, 7 hrs., $29.95 ISBN 1-56511-900-2

A sober reading by Amendola and Marx fits the slow pacing of Spragg's newest offering (following The Fruit of Stone
), which uses spare, beautiful language to tell a tale of hardship, resentment and reconciliation in smalltown Wyoming. Both veteran narrators give strong performances, though Amendola does a better job than Marx in personifying the book's more idiosyncratic characters—such as the crippled cowboy, Mitch, or the spunky, nine-year-old Griff Gilkyson. A few aspects of the production seem out of sync, however. For one, the ominous music that introduces and concludes each disc is too heavy for the subject matter. It conveys a sense of impeding doom that would be more appropriate in a thriller or even a tale of imminent tragedy, rather than this ultimately hopeful story of tried but tender human relationships. The decision to use two readers also seems unnecessary, as the unpredictable shifts between narrators at chapter breaks shake the listener out of the story. Overall, the recording would have benefited from a simpler approach, but it still offers a stirring look at the importance of individual conflicts and emotions. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover (Forecasts, Aug. 9).

August 9, 2004
An old rancher reluctantly takes in his daughter-in-law and granddaughter in this moving and well-crafted, if rather derivative, second novel by Spragg (The Fruit of Stone
). Jean Gilkyson hasn't been back to her hometown of Ishawooa, Wyo., since her husband, Griffin, died in a car accident. Jean was driving, and Griffin's father, Einar, has never forgiven her for his son's death. Ten years and four boyfriends later, Jean has run out of money and options. With her precocious nine-year-old daughter, Griff, she escapes boyfriend number four, a smirking brute named Roy. Einar isn't happy to see mother or daughter, but Griff loves his log house and ranch life. She makes friends right away with Mitch, Einar's old Vietnam War buddy, who's been mauled by a grizzly and is horribly scarred, and gradually wins over her grandfather. Meanwhile, Jean is charming the town sheriff, which comes in handy when Roy tracks her down. Spragg's spare storytelling is rock solid, but he covers well-worn territory in language familiar to readers of Cormac McCarthy and Kent Haruf, never quite striking off on his own. Agent, Nancy Stauffer Cahoon.
(Sept.)

Forecast:
A Miramax film version of the novel starring Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford will be released in December 2004; if it's a hit, it could move lots of books. First printing 75,000; 11-city author tour; BOMC featured alternate, Literary Guild and Doubleda
y Book Club alternates.

For prodigal daughter Jean Gilkyson, home is the tiny hamlet of Ishawooa, Wyoming, where her estranged father-in-law stubbornly blames her for the accidental death of his son. Jean's 10-year old daughter, Griff, has never known she has a grandfather, until abusive boyfriend Roy bashes in the side of Jean's face and puts mother and daughter on the road home. The two narrators, Tony Amendola and Judith Marx, alternate chapters to reflect the novel's shifting points of view; what could have been a distraction instead adds layers of nuance as the two hard-worn protagonists are illuminated. This bold choice elevates the story beyond the ordinary. Marx astutely conveys Jean's evolving love of the ranch, the land, and the old man who stewards them. Both Amendola and Marx do justice to the taut final showdown, heightening the listener's response. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine