Secrets Never Told

Morgana Johnson-Wells has secrets. First, there's the family story of a card game in which the loser had to hand over his daughter in marriage to the winner. Then, there's the story of the wife who found out nearly simultaneously that her mother had died and that her husband of three decades was having an affair. The wrong narrator could have ruined this superb novel about a contemporary African-American family. But Caroline Clay is on target with her subtle and complex narration, making this production pure pleasure. P.R. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine