Family Matters - Brief Article - Young Adult Review - Audiobook Review

Rohiton Mistry. 2002. Read by Martin Jarvis. 12 tapes. 17 hrs. New Millennium Audio. 1-590-07273-1. $45.00. Cardboard; author, reader, plot notes. SA

Who will care for Grandpa? This intimate look at a Parsee family in Mumbai (India) makes the characters as familiar, as lovable. and as infuriating as our own friends and families. Professor Nariman Vakil, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, takes a fail. There's plenty of space in his house and his stepdaughter and stepson have ample leisure, but they can't cope with the bedside routines and the responsibility. They move him to his daughter Roxanna's two-room flat, already cramped quarters for Roxanna, her husband, and their two sons. What happens next is an utterly convincing mixture of the predictable, the inevitable, and the totally unexpected.

The narrative is not always comfortable to hear. But the details are not there just to be disgusting; they become a tribute to the people who can care--unsqueamishly--for a frail and dependent human being. This is a skillfully constructed story and a powerful humanitarian statement. Award-winning reader Jarvis is ideal. The warmth, precision, and understanding of his delivery show why he is considered one of Britain's most distinguished and versatile actors. His fine reading creates an experience that could indeed matter to more than a few families. Helen Elizabeth Woodman, Andover, NH

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kliatt
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group