Garland Overreaches in the Elaborate ‘Tesseract’

Though known for their double-tracked productions, Brilliance Audio is now attempting a more mainstream approach to unabridged fiction. The company will still release economical double-tracked audio books, which require an adapter for your portable tape player or a balance-control knob on your stereo. However, more popular titles, such as the following three audio books, will now be produced in a regular, unabridged format.

Alex Garland’s highly anticipated sophomore effort, “The Tesseract,” does not live up to his edgy Generation X novel, “The Beach.” (Four cassettes; six hours; $24.95; read by James Daniels.)

“The Beach” was a druggy, paranoid tale of Western tourists in a hidden Thai resort. In “The Tesseract,” Garland attempts the tale of gunplay in Manila and all the people that crime involves, from the shooters to the victims. He brings in science and religion and destiny. He also oversteps his reach.

Garland’s prose is often lyrical, but the story is too loose. We could be hearing the basis for a screenplay for Quentin Tarantino or John Woo, but as a novel it seems excessively elaborate and rather pointless. It is also one of those novels probably best when read to oneself, as the dialogue is sometimes too arch when heard aloud. (If the title sends you racing for the dictionary, a “tesseract” is a four-dimensional cube.)

Narrator Daniels never rises above the material. His voice is pleasant, but not remarkable, and his various accents are of uneven quality. An Aussie sailor is convincing, if too loud, but an elderly Filipino crime lord is dreadful enough to make you wince. As Daniels brings nothing to this brief and surprisingly ponderous yarn, perhaps listeners should wait for Garland’s next effort. Or just watch “The Beach,” which is now being filmed with Leonardo DiCaprio.

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Billie Letts makes no pretensions to writing deep and meaningful fiction. Her second novel, “The Honk and Holler Opening Soon,” was a charming little romance that drew such praise it precipitated the release of her first novel onto audio. “Where the Heart Is” is a bit more manipulative and obvious than Letts’ second effort but remains a quick and lighthearted listen. (Six cassettes; nine hours; $35.95; read by Susie Breck.)

Novalee Nation, 17 and pregnant, is simply tossed away by a blackhearted beau when they stop at a Wal-Mart on their way to California. So Novalee makes the best of a bad situation: She moves into the store. Though there are too many cornball subplots, this is mainly a warm and witty love story between the pregnant homeless teen and the town that just absorbs her. It is also a love story on a more conventional level as Novalee learns to depend on the kindness of idiosyncratic but utterly delightful strangers.

This Oprah Book Club selection is greatly enhanced by narrator Breck’s lilting accent and heartfelt performance. She molds her thick Southwestern accent to fit soft and feminine characters, then sharpens the timbre for more brittle or angry moments. Breck deepens her voice for men and adopts a convincing childlike lisp for a toddler. She may have a limited number of these Oklahoma variations in her, but her performance enhances the allure of this cozy little tale. The one problem with this production is a heavy-handed use of sound effects. Brilliance audio books often employ an echo machine to indicate a dreamlike state, or alter the tone for a phone call. These effects are annoying and cheesy and overdone in “Where the Heart Is.” However, the music used to begin and end each chapter is peppy, and Brilliance eases transitions by always repeating the last sentence when you flip the tape.

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At first, Gardner McKay’s “Toyer” seems like yet another book in which women are mutilated for our listening pleasure. Misogynist tendencies are almost disguised by the use of a slightly unhinged female protagonist who is the doctor treating all the victims. (Eight cassettes; 13 hours; $39.95; read by the author.)

Toyer is the handle given to a charismatic and handsome madman who does not rape or kill his victims but merely drugs them and then lobotomizes them. Since he hasn’t killed anyone, but merely put nine women into comas, the district attorney is less than interested. So our intrepid and angry doctor uses a column in a tabloid newspaper and her dead-on instincts to chase down the bad guy.

McKay, a playwright and Hawaiian public radio personality, may be a well-trained speaker but was perhaps not the best choice for this audio. His performance is not without merit, but it is uneven. There are times when his voice is a little too soft, his manner a bit too stagy. In fact, whenever he intensifies the performance, he simply sounds smarmy. McKay also speaks too quickly in spots. It was too bad that Dick Hill, who directed the production, did not read it, as he is always worth hearing.

Rochelle O’Gorman reviews audio books every other week. Next week: Dick Lochte on mystery books.