A Good Life

Best-selling French writer Grimaldi’s U.S. debut is luminously performed by Liz Fodor, who offers an affecting narration of sisters Emma and Agathe as children and middle-aged adults. The sisters, once close but now estranged, return to their grandmother’s home in Spain after her death. The story alternates between the past (1985 through 2017) and the present day to illustrate how the family and the sisters fell apart. This is a story of the power of family and love, along with shared childhood trauma, mental illness, and grief. Grimaldi provides a sensitive depiction of mental illness, including the impact on caregivers, while still maintaining a hopeful tone. Fodor expertly narrates the sisters as children, creating an empathetic portrait that deepens as they come of age. She seamlessly incorporates the French words and phrases that are sprinkled throughout. Listeners will be swept up in the theme of what makes a good life, alongside the revelations of how the sisters’ difficult childhood experiences impacted their present-day lives.