Complex Tale of a Civil War Loses Its Impact on Tape

Some books are better read than heard.

Such is the case of Michael Ondaatje’s fourth novel, “Anil’s Ghost,” a haunting examination of civil war in Sri Lanka. (Random House AudioBooks; unabridged fiction; six cassettes; eight hours; $29.95; read by Alan Cumming.)

This novel may be more accessible than Ondaatje’s previous work, but it is still a dense work of fiction. He shifts focus, changes location, travels in time. Often the effect is poetic and intriguing, but that effect can be more powerful when read on a page. One wishes to linger over a passage, flip back a few pages, reread. That this is a well-produced and uncut version of the novel is never at question. One simply loses the opportunity to slowly absorb all of Ondaatje’s finely crafted wordplay when listening to the audio book.

The author, who was born in Sri Lanka, wrote of war in his Booker Prize-winning novel, “The English Patient.” He visits it again, though in a different country and context with Anil Tissera, a woman with a man’s name. A native Sri Lankan, Anil left at 18 for an education in America and England. A forensic anthropologist, she returns 15 years later as part of a human rights fact-finding team.

Anil has had other grisly field assignments in other killing fields, most notably in Guatemala. However, she soon learns that the war in her native land is more gruesome than most, as there were secret death squads on both sides.

Brutality and secrecy reigned in this clandestine war between Buddhists and Hindus, bringing with it a cloak of paranoia and suspicion that soon covers her. As she unearths the bodies of torture victims, the focus of her attention is a skeleton nicknamed “Sailor” whose identity she labors to uncover.

The beauty in this novel is the lyricism Ondaatje interjects into even mundane situations. He creates a roster of intriguing characters whose paths cross only because of the war and its violent aftermath. The sum of their personalities, however, overpowers the story. We become entangled in their musings to the disadvantage of the plot, a weak mystery that is never as exciting as the players hoping to learn the dead man’s name.

Random House certainly deserves praise for releasing this audio book in its entirety, as a truncated version would have been maddeningly difficult to follow. The publisher also deserves kudos for hiring Alan Cumming, a skilled Broadway actor with a cultured and pleasing manner.

Cumming’s voice is moderately deep and his British accent soft and educated. His leisurely pacing suits the story, as he gives us time to take in the author’s intent and moves along quickly enough not to bore us. He does not pick up different accents for each character, but allows emotion to rule his performance. An added plus is his flawless pronunciation of foreign words.

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The latest of Oprah Winfrey’s book club choices to be released on audio is Tawni O’Dell’s first novel, “Back Roads.” (Harper Audio; abridged fiction; four cassettes; six hours; $25; read by Dylan Baker.) O’Dell’s writing is powerful, passionate and sometimes overcooked. She has created a compelling character in Harley Altmyer, a wounded teenager in charge of a brood of sisters.

Their mother is serving a life sentence for murdering their father, leaving the stoical, angry young man with more responsibility than he can handle.

As Harley races between two dead-end jobs in western Pennsylvania, he carries on an affair with a married neighbor and tries to parent three girls trapped in a miserable existence. Amber is 16 and sex-crazed and filled with rage. Twelve-year-old Misty is glazed over and scary. The keeper of secrets is Jody, an adorable but terminally sad 6-year-old.

Though her writing teeters close to melodrama in spots, O’Dell conjures up a vivid world in which domestic violence and sexual craving are powerful focal points. She allows us to see the motivation propelling even the most heinous of acts. One of her more ingenious literary devices is the words Harley sees scrawled in the air before his eyes. As his life continues to unravel, he begins to see “truth” and “closure” appear on walls and in the air. An author who gives her characters such intriguing psychological tics is one to watch for again, even if she does push the envelope.

Audiophiles know they are in for a treat when they see Dylan Baker’s name associated with a project. A hint of country in the actor’s voice adds texture to his performance. He changes his intonation for the young girls, but does so without sounding mincing or phony. He roughens and deepens his voice for a minor character, and clearly changes his timing to suit the halting words of a small child.

Though I am not overly fond of his female voices, each is different and clearly identifiable. Baker’s forte is instilling emotion into his delivery. The result is that one can not only hear sobs in his voice, but also the subtler strains of sympathy.

Though the novel is abridged, it was done carefully. But sex and violence have added dimension when you take them off the page and give them voice, so be prepared for the harshness of some of these scenes.

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