Out of the Wild Night - Blue Balliett

Written by Blue Balliett
Read by Alison Edwards
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Release date: March 27, 2018
Duration: 07:18:36

From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing Vemeer, an unforgettable story about an island haunted by the past…and the ghosts who must help with the present.

Two interrelated problems have raised tensions on Nantucket, a normally serene island off the Massachusetts coast. One is the clash between a chronic shortage of affordable housing and wealthy outsiders buying up rickety homes that once belonged to lobstermen and sea captains.

The second is ghosts (including Mary Chase, who narrates despite being dead for a century), who don’t want the homes they’ve haunted for years renovated by rapacious contractors who swap out weather-beaten siding for Viking stoves and marble flooring. Into this conflict enters an ethnically diverse gaggle of local kids who feel (oddly) compelled to stop the renovations with a rash of “accidents” on construction sites.

Balliett, a former island resident, writes lovingly about its rich history and unequivocally sides with the preservationists (“Some say Nantucket has the greatest number of pre-1850 houses of any residential community in this country,” notes one character). But many readers may gloss over the housing issues to focus on the shivery exploits of the marauding ghosts and a twisty finale that adds poignancy.

Narrator Alison Edwards dives readily into Balliett’s haunting prose. Her compassion and enthusiasm shine in her portrayals of the characters: the brave, determined children; the seasoned islanders; and the narrating ghost who is watching these extraordinary events unfold. Edwards’s even pacing and attention to detail help listeners discern past from present and keep them rooted in each moment. Against the rich seaside of Nantucket, Edwards delivers this ghost story grounded in family, redemption, and history, a love letter to a place and way of life told through those who value it most. K.S.B. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine