This offbeat audio production aims to capture the unusual polygamous culture of fictional Navel, Utah, while also playfully exploring the question of assisted suicide. The actors’ performances generally rise to the quixotic tone of the story, the most entertaining being the portrayal of a polygamist wife who has helped several former husbands meet their maker a bit sooner than they expected (especially on their wedding night—when better to poison a patriarch than when the whole town is already assembled together?). Other characters include a rectal surgeon who moonlights as a rock star and a young woman whose popular skin products feature marijuana as a key ingredient. Between chapters, listeners get historic musings from the town’s 19th-century founder, who is now looking down on his community from the afterlife. Several of these same actors have appeared in Adele Park’s previous productions, such as Yikes!, but have little audio book experience beyond that. Regardless, the only real misstep here is the braying nasal tones used for Nancy Neptune. These are so grating that it’s hard to believe the character makes a living as a radio host—and that she’s only in her 30s, when the performance sounds like it’s coming from a much older woman. (BookLife)