The Shape of Water

This novelization of the Academy Award-winning film provides backstories for many characters, better placing the tale in the space race and social contexts of 1962 Baltimore. A fantastical creature from the Amazon, subject of Soviet and U.S. military interest, is held in Occam Labs. Elisa, who works as a cleaner at Occam and is attracted to the creature, enlists Dr. Bob Hoffstetler, Giles, and Zelda to help her free the creature from his captivity. Col. Richard Strickland is in charge of Occam and wants to destroy the creature to keep it from being examined by the Soviets. This is a wonderful fantasy given a very nice reading by Jenna Lamia, whose narration and voice characterizations add much to the audio's appeal. Patrons can decide for themselves if the book is more a companion to the movie, or the film more a companion to the book.