Counting to Perfect

Narrator Olivia Campbell portrays Cassie, who is telling the story of the early days of her summer. One might expect joy at the end of the school year with time ahead to spend with friends, but this is not the case for Cassie. She is feeling second fiddle to her older sister, Julia, who has given birth at the age of 17 and who has commanded much of the family's attention. When Cassie hops into Julia's car with young Addie early one morning, she embarks on an eye-opening trip. Campbell's voice is fresh and raw whether she's recounting Cassie's despair about her parents' focus on Julia and her friends' cold shoulders or Julia's ambivalence about her new life. As Cassie's dad, Campbell voices distance and distraction. Listeners will have much to think about. A.R. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine