The Occupation of Joe by Bill Baynes is now available in audio for a limited time for only $9.
Narrated by the author, the three-hour MP3 version can be downloaded directly from his website — billbaynes.com — where you can listen to a free five-minute sample.
The Occupation of Joe is the powerful story of an American naval officer who tries to help a local boy at the beginning of the American Occupation of Tokyo in 1945.
The spare, often staccato, precision with which the narrative unfolds lends a dramatic urgency to the telling that made it hard for me to put the book down until I reached the last page.
Proud of the Allied victory but appalled by the devastation he sees across the city, the young lieutenant becomes entangled with the boy, his infant sister and his beautiful mother – at the risk of their lives and his own.
I found myself often responding with unexpected waves of emotion.
Now you can listen to the story at your convenience on your tablet, your car radio or your computer.
I continued to think about the characters and their complex connections long after I finished reading.
(Italicized statements from reviews posted on Amazon.)
