The Year Without Michael

Alyssa Bresnahan's skillful reading of the book by Susan Beth Pfeffer (BDD, pap. 1988) takes listeners on a rollercoaster ride through the unraveling lives of a typical middle class family faced with uncertainty of the most horrifying kind. When 13-year-old Michael vanishes somewhere between home and the softball field, his parents and sisters, 16-year-old Jody and 9-year-old Kay, are completely unprepared for the emotional devastation his disappearance unleashes. The story of how they cope with the suspicion of foul play and the psychological toll their fear take on their relationships with one another makes for compelling listening. While the family waits for word of Michael, their lives slip into increasing disarray. Mr. and Mrs. Chapman stop speaking to one another, Kay becomes angry and defiant, and Jody finds a wall growing between herself and her friends. There is no neat ending or even any satisfying resolution to Michael's story. Still, the struggles of each member of the Chapman family to come to terms with the ambiguity surrounding Michael's absence and to move forward with their lives despite their loss provide a deftly wrought and riveting story.