Evans, Diana. 26a; a novel.

EVANS, Diana. 26a; a novel. Read by Adjoa Andoh. 8 cds. 10.25 hrs. BBC Audiobooks America. 2005. 0-7927-3925-6. $79.95. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. SA

Georgia and Bessi Hunter are identical twins, daughters of a Nigerian mother and a British father. Aubrey turns tyrannical and brutish when drinking and Ida suffers severe depression from homesickness. The twins and their sisters long for peace and harbor a naive hope that the fairy tale marriage of Charles and Diana may renew a spark of lost love in their parents. The children share varying degrees of psychic abilities and other-worldliness from their African ancestry. The novel frequently becomes phantasmagoric as the twins commune with animals, ancestors, past lives, and later, become each other. Maturity brings the real world of dating, career ambitions, the '80s drug scene, materialism, and all the hazards of the modern era. A strength of the novel is that the interracial connections, while a personal issue, are not a social issue. With minor exceptions, there is no obvious discrimination against this unusual family. The author is of the same mixed ancestry as her characters. Narrator Andoh is truly outstanding in conveying the multicultural dialogue and characterization. Dark and complex, this is not an easy production to follow, but it is worth the effort. Nancy Crowder Chaplin, Libn., VCCW, Goochland, VA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.