Bones of an Inland Sea

By: Mary Akers

Narrated by: Erin Jones

Evocative and brimming with redemption, Mary Akers' newest collection Bones of an Inland Sea takes the reader on a journey of exploration and transformation that begins with a 19th century shipwreck, passes through Bikini Atoll's atomic testing, sinks into the heart of a devastating tsunami, and slides forward into a futurist island utopia floating in the Sargasso Sea.

Characters connect on remote beaches and forgotten islands, while family ties prove - like the ocean - to be both powerful and unpredictable. These fourteen stories form a captivating mosaic of intertwining narratives that convey a strong sense of the eternal and the possible.

©2013 Mary Akers (P)2013 Mary Akers

excellent short story collection for audiobook

If you could sum up Bones of an Inland Sea in three words, what would they be?

Far reaching stories about water and human emotion ranging from floods, to islands, to sunken treasure, to global warming. Beautifully written and beautifully read/narrated.

Who was your favorite character and why?

all of them, but I especially loved the lead character in the Bikini Atoll story whose father witnessed the hydrogen bomb test there and insists it was beautiful, despite the cost.

What about Erin Jones’s performance did you like?

She caught the emotion of the stories perfectly.

If you could take any character from Bones of an Inland Sea out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The narrator of the final story. It sounded like she hadn't eaten a decent meal ever since she became an adult. I'd make sure she got all the butter she wanted.

Any additional comments?

These stories are very well-suited to an audio version and Erin Jones's reading is a huge bonus.

Great stories with outstanding narration

I very much enjoyed these stories which examine human relations with a nautical theme. Be aware when reading that many characters recur throughout the various stories. The narration by Erin Jones is outstanding.