ROMANCE

Ancient Light

by John Banville
8 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 9¾ hrs. Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 9780449013441. $35; digital download. F
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Retired actor Alexander Cleave plumbs his memory to describe his first "love," a 15-year-old's unlikely affair with his best friend's mother. Early on, Alex confides he is sure that the affair's inevitable discovery will be devastating to both, spending the greater part of the novel (with many close calls) elsewhere before revealing that discovery. All this relates somehow to the shaping—or misshaping—of Alex's psyche in relation to his daughter, Cass, featured in two prior Alexander Cleave novels, who died by suicide. Despite the sordid plot and a muddled subplot involving Alex costarring in a motion picture, the book is given a terrific reading by Robin Sachs.
VERDICT This will likely be of considerable interest to award-winning author Banville's (The Infinities) fans and so is recommended for adult fiction collections.
Reviewed by Cliff Glaviano, formerly with Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH , Jun 07, 2013
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