As for authorial style, a good selection in narrator can really help this shine. Scott Brick’s deliberate use of space and inflection add to the melancholic and meditative nature of the text, while Sarah Vowell’s jaunty, smirk-filled narration of her own history books serves to highlight the sarcastic style in which the text itself is written.
If I were to pick one audiobook that encompasses all of these ideas, it would be David Rakoff’s reading of of his verse novel Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish. Rakoff uses time and pacing to his advantage when portraying the story, adds to his characterization with subtle voices and accents, and his unique style of rhyming couplets shines through his narration without being sing-song-y.
There’s something special to be said about this one, however, as Rakoff, suffering from post-radiation sarcoma, recorded it mere weeks before his passing, and in the process of recording it, you can hear his strength fading as the tumor encroached further and further on his airway. It is truly a heartbreaking listen, both for the content of the book as well as for the narration.
- - +If you can’t tell, I love it dearly.
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