New Reviews: Fiction

In this vivid short story, listeners meet 13-year-old Ravi during a summer in New Jersey in the 1960s. Even though the story is written in the third person, Fajer Al-Kaisi's use of a clear, deep voice for the narrative suggests an adult Ravi who is thinking back on a day in his youth that changed his life. For Ravi's remembered dialogue as a teen, Al-Kaisi uses a voice that is... Read More

Erin Bennett offers a compelling performance of this novel by Elin Hilderbrand, who's now writing with her daughter. Though Tiffin Academy has jumped up in the national rankings of private boarding schools, nothing really seems that any different there. As the school year begins, faculty and students are either discovering secrets or hiding them. This audiobook is a mystery... Read More

Narrator Patrica Santomasso shines as the voices of a trio of women who were impregnated by the same deadbeat dad, Jason. They unite in solidarity and unexpected friendship. When Sandy finds co-parenting her daughter, Rosie, with Jason frustrating, she connects with Stephanie, the mother of Jason's oldest child. The two women bond over their shared experiences, discovering they... Read More

Narrators André Santana and Angel Pean add emotional depth to this moving story. In the aftermath of the Civil War, emancipated siblings Coleman and June cannot escape the Harper family of Baton Rouge. Mr. Harper, seeking his fortune in a Mexican silver mine, forces June to accompany him and later demands that Coleman bring his wife's jewelry for barter. Coleman obeys but also... Read More

Kirby Heyborne narrates a cinematic fever dream in which five soldiers confronting the horrors of WWI stumble across a supernatural being. The audiobook has a unique structure consisting entirely of a single sentence relentlessly weaving poetic brutality with moral tension. Heyborne adeptly navigates the unusual rhythm of the format with a narration that maintains momentum... Read More

In 1971 Omaha, Helene and Evelyn meet as their children marry. Mia Barron's detached voice sets the scene and then, almost magically, transforms into women full of personality. Barron takes us back to the '40s and '60s, which molded the women, and forward from the '80s to the 2015s. As the women continue their rivalries, competing for attention and love, Barron gives each her... Read More

William DeMeritt's low, gravelly timbre and Bahni Turpin's delicious drawl utterly capture the emotional ride as two former lovers reunite in their Southern hometown after years of betrayal and heartbreak. One-hit wonder Luke Randall stole the song his first love, August Lane, wrote for him years ago. Now her mother, a country music star who is Luke's idol, wants him to sing it... Read More

Lily Newmark's transcendent performance of Anna North's remarkable novel lingers long in the memory. Three narratives intersect--a young woman of Iron Age Briton begins her first year as village Druid during the start of Roman occupation; Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist, is asked to examine a 2,000-year-old body preserved in an English peat bog; and that of the peat... Read More

Carlotta Brentan's narration is a master class in poignant storytelling. Gelfuso's novel, featuring an 11-year-old girl who is trapped in time space, is a thoughtful exploration of memory, grief, and the abuse of power. Her writing is clear, emotionally grounded, and well paced. The story unfolds with quiet intensity and engaging characters that keep the listener entranced.... Read More

This audiobook takes place in 1930s Madrid, where Barbara opens a bookstore that serves to defend beloved literature from the rising Nazi censorship spreading across Europe and the effects of the Spanish Civil War. Narrator Lauren Ezzo's crisp diction makes the story's digressions into complex historical politics easy to understand. In an era-appropriate touch, her narration... Read More

Golden Voice Narrator Michael Crouch brings his expert skills to this complex historical drama. While WWII still rages in the Pacific, a secret spanning generations begins in Bonhomie, Ohio. Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt, who are married to other people, share a kiss in a hardware store upon the news of victory over Germany, and this starts a massive trickle-down effect... Read More

Narrator Nathan Agin empathetically delivers this delectable tale of how "Cato's Cheesecake," an ancient Roman recipe believed to be the oldest ever found, changes the lives of Greek immigrants on the Upper West Side of New York City. Agin modulates his tone and adds dramatic pauses to enhance this story of risk, opportunity, and love. It's the 1970s, and the Katsikases's... Read More

This unusual story opens with the listener learning that Christa, expertly portrayed by narrator Jesse Vilinsky, is about to receive life-altering news. In short order, the island where she hides from the public while conducting snail research implodes. Two men--specifically, a love interest and her long-lost father, both portrayed by Jonathan Todd Ross--turn her carefully... Read More

Narrator Lucy Boynton conveys an unsettling blend of glamour, paranoia, and detachment when 20-something Lily wakes up and inexplicably finds herself participating in a reality TV show. Boynton's calm tone aligns with Lily's internal disconnection, giving the listener space to feel the tension mounting as contestants are placed in increasingly dangerous challenges. Boynton... Read More

Narrator Stina Nielsen portrays Bernadette, a copy editor at a New York publisher in the 1960s. After joining a feminist book club, she pursues a much-deserved promotion and advocates for equal rights. She finds two unexpected allies at her job who bolster her influence. Nielsen's clear voice delivers the narration at a steady pace that aligns with Bernadette's calm demeanor... Read More

Yuriri Naka's gentle tones suit the quiet, introspective atmosphere of this comforting collection of interconnected stories set in the coastal town of Mojiko, Japan. The sweetness in Naka's voice conveys the community's awe for the magic of the convenience store called Tenderness. What Naka's narration may lack in vocal resonance, she skillfully makes up for by capturing the... Read More

Stacy Carolan convincingly delivers most of this AI-focused novel. He is an engaging narrator with a good tone and a tempo that adapts to the story's sometimes urgent pace. Noah, a lawyer, is the husband of AI genius Lorelei Shaw. In a tragic accident, the family's autonomous-driving minivan hits a car and kills an elderly couple. January LaVoy does an exceptional, though... Read More

Cindy Kay's smooth narration enhances the reflective quality of this story set in a mysterious library on the outskirts of Tokyo. Exasperated with her job as a bookseller in a chain bookshop, Otaha Higuchi gladly accepts an unusual position at a peculiar library--one that is open only at night, houses books only by deceased authors, and doesn't lend books out. A lightness in... Read More

Set in Madrid, Serrano's satirical look at modern marketing could have set its eyes upon San Francisco or London. British actress Emer Kenny's narration is distinctly English, and the translation seems pitch- perfect. She conveys Marisa's states of mind through tone and timing. Much of the story is conveyed through Marisa's inner monologue, which expresses how unhappy she is at... Read More

Katie Koster is a high-energy narrator whose tightly enunciated delivery suits this novel's main character. Amy is at a crossroads. An avid advocate for animals, she channels her midlife feelings of loss and lack of direction toward joining the search for Angel, an internet-famous dog that is missing in Tbilisi, Georgia. As one might expect, the audiobook is full of accented... Read More

A scientist who breeds rare snails encounters sisters who provide "romance tours" in this audiobook. Set against the backdrop of wartime Ukraine, the complex story defies a simple summary or spoiler-proof description. Saskia Maarleveld delivers the female points of view with quiet intensity. Her nimble pace and sincere tone showcase Reva's solid prose. Max Meyers captures... Read More

The people, plants, landscapes, and histories of Hawaii come alive in this collection of short stories. Jennifer Robideau narrates with a light touch and minimal character voices, choosing instead to provide a welcome continuity of tone across the stories. Through her characters' intimate relationships with each other and their home places, Rigg explores the legacy of... Read More

Miranda Raison's understated performance complements this quietly profound production. When an English couple divorce in 1982, it fractures their young daughter's life in ways she doesn't fully understand or heal from until a complex truth is revealed forty years later. The novel shifts between Dawn's romantic awakening with another woman and traumatic divorce proceedings from... Read More

This wonderful novel with its inherent musicality receives a noteworthy performance from Katrina Lenk. Clara, once a world-famous pianist, was badly burned in a fire and no longer plays. When she receives an unexpected inheritance from her despised former teacher, Madame, she's bewildered. The object, a priceless metronome missing since the 1800s, might have belonged to... Read More

When a father disappears one night, a fractured family tries to make peace with what happened. But the discordant echo of that night still haunts them. At a patiently revelatory pace, narrator Eunice Wong portrays the Kang family--Louisa, Anne, and Serk. As the story proceeds with multiple shifts in point of view, Wong expertly voices adolescent caprice, 20-something apathy,... Read More

Audio fans' mouths will water as they listen to the excellent narration of Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. In this novel Isabella Pasternak, a semi-washed-out food writer, reluctantly accepts a new gig to ghostwrite a cookbook for former big-time, always hungover soap star Molly Babcock. The kitchen gets messy, and the relationship equally so. Nothing Isabella tries is good enough.... Read More

This English translation of a French novella imagines the lives of strangers in an apartment building as described by their neighbor Nathalia in letters to her therapist. Narrator Alex Wyndham embodies the series of characters who tell their stories--or are they all Nathalia revealing herself to her therapist and the listener through first-person fiction? Some of Wyndham's... Read More

This immersive audiobook revolves around scents, sensibility, sex, and success. Award-winning narrator Saskia Maarleveld tells the story of Iris, a thirty-five-year-old lighting consultant who is given a unique perfume that transforms her life. Maarleveld captures Iris's metamorphosis from underappreciated designer and rejected lover to a woman who stirs primal desires, exudes... Read More

A full cast brings this graphic novel to life on audio. Author Mike Curato narrates in an innocent tone as AJ, who is new to Seattle and anxious to break into the gay dating scene. When he crashes into a gorgeous drag queen, K, she sweeps him into her "Boy Luck Club." Nicky Endres brings elegance to their portrayal of K, who mothers the group of gay Asian friends while hiding... Read More

Narrators AhDream Smith, Erin Spencer, and Khaya Fraites draw listeners into the lives of three single teenage mothers--Simone, Emory, and Adela. Through alternating perspectives, the narrations capture each character's struggles and hopes as the women navigate pregnancy and motherhood while coming of age in Padua Beach, Florida. Smith conveys Simone's resilience and heartache... Read More

This haunting collection of stories by Argentinian writer Schweblin is exquisitely written, thoughtfully translated, and narrated by a full cast. Six fine narrators perform works that take the listener to Europe and Argentina, presenting characters in crisis. While all do exceptional work, Alma Cuervo's cadence, eloquent style, and measured delivery of "A Fabulous Animal,"... Read More

Robert Fass's performance gives this utterly believable novel the life it deserves. Fictional writer Jed Rosenthal is playing detective--he's curious about why his grandparents, Babs and Lou Rosenthal, and their closest friends, Essee and Irv Kupcinet, suddenly ended a lifelong friendship some years ago. Tracing the two families' histories unveils a series of real events.... Read More

Narrator Imani Jade Powers shines in this compelling debut novel. Set in the summer of 1999, the story focuses on Rachel Fiske, a recent high school graduate. After friend and family drama, Rachel is sent to Greenwich, Connecticut, to spend the summer with her wealthy aunt and uncle and their young daughter. Powers captures Rachel's thoughts--her fears, immaturity, and... Read More

This bittersweet, immersive audiobook unites King with Rebecca Lowman, one of our finest narrative voices. Lowman is at her shape-shifting best as she matches her tone, pace, and timing to each character. The protagonist, who begins the novel in her final days at college, becomes an author. Called "Jordan" by her two brilliant friends, Sam and Yash, she reveals the story of a... Read More

Helen Laser gives a satisfying performance of a story that seems like the two sides of a vinyl album. On side A, it's the summer of 1989. Ten-year-old Suzanne joins her rocker father on tour with his band. The tour ends with a shocking event. On the B side, Suzanne is 30 years older, married to Rob, and living a quiet suburban life--until she decides to hit the road to learn... Read More

This contemporary gothic novel is narrated by Helen Laser. After a breakup and an upsetting incident at work, Cassie retreats to her hometown, where she reconnects with her high school friend, Eli, whose wife, Beth, has just passed away. Eli is immediately drawn to Cassie, and they marry quickly. But Cassie, who struggles with OCD, isn't a good fit for the life Beth left... Read More

Sneha Mathan's mellifluous voice draws listeners into this lyrical rumination on what it means to be an intelligent woman of a certain age. Fifty-five and disabled, an Indian feminist sociology professor with two divorces behind her decides she's tired of being alone. She's ready to meet someone and marry again. She decides to hold a "swayamvar," an ancient Hindu ritual in... Read More

This dark story of a plausible future has a propulsive plot and intriguing characters. Suzy Jackson delivers it with wonder, as well as good timing, tempo, and tone. The end-times plot is set at the world's last zoo, which is housed on Alcatraz Island. Here a billionaire has collected some of the last animals on the planet, which has been stricken with a fungal pandemic. The... Read More

Carlotta Brentan narrates Giulia Caminito's English-language debut, giving its main character, Gaia, two believable voices. Set in Italy in the 1990s, this novel recounts the struggles of the Colombo family, who seek to rise out of poverty and find their place in a judgmental society. Brentan takes listeners into teenage Gaia's mind, emphasizing her frustration and... Read More

Narrator Gerard Doyle fully embodies all the characters in this historical adventure, which includes a splash of social commentary. A 19th-century teenaged aristocrat, Andrew, flees his unhappy English family, renouncing an ill-gotten inheritance to seek freedom as an ordinary sailor. The fast-paced story of his life on the high seas is told by a diverse cast of characters,... Read More

Eileen Stevens narrates this slow-paced audiobook based on a true story. In 1956, sweet Midwesterner Carolyn Banks rents her great-aunts' eerie mansion on New York's Upper East Side. Unbeknownst to her, it's inhabited by familial ghosts, including her audacious Great-Aunt Snug. When Alfred Hitchcock and some of his actor friends have a party there in hopes of a ghostly... Read More

Thérèse Plummer and Saskia Maarleveld, both outstanding storytellers, portray Laura and Helaine, two characters who span decades during and after WWII. Years after her traumatic experience volunteering for the Red Cross in Nazi Germany, Laura discovers half of an engraved necklace in England. Recognizing that the necklace is connected to her friend Franny, who mysteriously died... Read More

In this audiobook, Ruth befriends Maria when the two are children, and their relationship remains a constant as they mature. Shayna Small's gentle voice works well with the text, but she can't make up for the story's weaknesses: The plot is slow and inconsistent in structure and characterizations. Some details are minutely examined, while important moments are glossed over.... Read More

Brian Nishii narrates this uplifting tale of magical realism involving a middle-aged man who believes he's the unluckiest person in Japan. Suichi is going through hard times with his job, his family, and the mounting debt that threatens to cancel their long-awaited trip to Paris. At his lowest point, a mysterious taxi driver appears, taking him on a thought-provoking journey.... Read More

Brittany Bradford tenderly narrates this speculative meditation on grief and family connections. Twins Olivia and Ayanna grow up physically together but ideologically separate. Olivia is raised by their staunchly Catholic mother, and Ayanna by their father, who worships a mysterious blue door--one of several that spontaneously appeared throughout the world decades before.... Read More

Eddie Lopez provides the perfect voice for this witty, heartfelt epistolary novel. Lopez captures the spiraling anxiety, intense self-reflection, and endless intellectualizing of the unnamed narrator. In the midst of his first big heartbreak, he wonders if the perfect polyamorous life he thought he was building with his husband, two kids, and boyfriend was just an illusion. In... Read More

Narrator André Santana brings to life a young, gay, Black painter who has freshly relocated to New York City. As Wyeth explores the Manhattan bar scene, the art world, and the gossip that fills both, he goes through a bout of artist's block. When he meets Keating, a white former seminarian, he begins to see the world differently. Santana navigates all of Wyeth's doubts and... Read More

New Zealand author Tina Makereti's powerful novel, set in the near future, comes alive with fellow New Zealander Stacey Leilua's narration. Three very different women living in the same neighborhood face climate change, prejudice, and inequality while struggling to survive. Keri is a Maori parent of a teenage daughter, Wairere, and 4-year-old son, Walty. Her intonation is... Read More

Gilli Messer narrates this moving debut audiobook, which revolves around 15-year-old Margarita's turbulent adolescence. Margarita lives with her Israeli-born father, Avi, in Berlin, where he serves as a cantor at a synagogue. Margarita hasn't seen her American-born mother, Marsha, for many years. After visiting her maternal grandparents in Chicago, Margarita is abruptly sent to... Read More

Elaine Castillo performs her novel featuring a millennial woman living in Las Vegas with her extended family who is trying to get by after losing everything in the 2008 financial crisis. She spends her days wading through the worst humanity has to offer at her job as a moderator for a major social media company. When she accepts a promotion to work in her company's new virtual... Read More

An earthy performance by Rae De Vine makes Natalie Guerrero's novel resonate with truth. With her dreams deferred, romance on hold, and disappointment around every corner, singer/actress Xiomara Sanchez has all but given up. She's working two jobs--one at a print/copy shop and the other as a singing waitress at a diner--when a chance encounter propels her into an audition for... Read More

Twelve narrators plus the author perform this multigenerational novel about queer life in Lagos. Though the narrators use a range of voices with distinct accents and tones, it's often hard to distinguish among them. This is partly because it's also hard to keep track of the characters. The novel doesn't have a clear narrative arc; it's a symphonic, nonlinear collection of lives... Read More

What if you could live a double life? Or what about a different life for each day of the week? This quirky speculative novel, joyously narrated by Fleur De Wit, investigates the concept of multiple lives. De Wit's clever, sharp-tongued narration sounds more like a chat with your best friend than a thinly veiled commentary on psychological dissociation. De Wit's voice links each... Read More

This slow-burn novel features two brilliant Harvard undergraduates who are caught up in the intoxicating allure of start-up culture when their biotech brainchild promises to change the world. Zoe, portrayed by Helen Laser, is born into an elite family and destined for greatness. Laser's boldly confident tone is perfect for the sharp, privileged young woman who is studying the... Read More

This audiobook benefits from the fine narration of actor John Grasl. Abe Jacob, a Mohawk living in Miami, returns to his tribal home on the New York-Canadian border. He's a failed poet who's divorced from a polyamorous wife and suffers from a rare autoimmune disease that has no cure. He also has a snarky alter-ego named Dominick Dear Woods, who narrates this compelling debut... Read More

Gilli Messer gives a grand performance in this historical novel about two young Jewish women. Miriam Bishop, who goes by Anne, and Delia Goldhush both attend Vassar College in the late 1940s. Jewish students are rare on campus, and while Delia is proudly open about her religion, Anne tries to pass as Christian. After Delia is expelled from Vassar in an incident in which Anne... Read More

These disparate stories demonstrate Park's range, literary skill, and talent for capturing a significant moment. Narrated with guile and energy by Raymond J. Lee, "Machine City" spins the tale of an ill-fated short film and a relationship at Yale. Lee also does outstanding work with Gabrielle De Cuir as the aging director and actress in a send-up of a vintage sci-fi movie in... Read More

Weaving together two timelines--1965 and 1978--this is a story of identity, family, and secrets. In the 1978 section, narrator Mia Barron perfectly embodies Betsy Whiting, a recent college graduate who is trying to get some distance from her family after the death of her father, a U.S. senator. The family reconnects at their Martha's Vineyard home to deal with the fallout of... Read More

André Santana's narration matches the somber tone of this novel in which a Jamaican mother visits her nearly estranged gay son. Frequent flashbacks to the mother and son's often joyless lives lend insight to their tense exchanges. In the two weeks that follow, the mother works on mending their relationship; at the same time, the son realizes he has more friends than he... Read More

Renowned British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who won an Earphones Award for his narration of St. Aubyn's novel DOUBLE BLIND, delivers a terrific performance of the author's latest tale. Rather like an updated Shakespeare comedy on steroids, the tale of love, loss, family, and survival involves separated fraternal twins, mental illness, troubled therapists, and environmental... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell takes on this slow-moving story of the small town of Ebey's End, situated on an island off the Pacific coast. Sweet-natured and observant Anita Odom, owner of Island Grocery, suddenly finds herself having to raise her orphaned fourteen-year-old cousin, July. The next thing Anita knows, July is shyly suggesting various purchases to... Read More

This account of two Black writers makes for a memorable audiobook. Both narrators are masters of cadence and pace. The unnamed first-person protagonist, portrayed expressively by Golden Voice Narrator JD Jackson, wins a National Book Award. Ronald Peet eloquently portrays the writer Soot. Both writers are wounded--one by a knife and the other by loss. Europe is the setting for... Read More

Four narrators tell this multigenerational story of a Shanghai family with a magical secret: The women can "reforge" pencils, re-creating the stories that were once written with them. Carolyn Kang voices devoted granddaughter Monica, who lives in contemporary times in Cambridge. As Monica researches her family's history, Kang captures her growth, taking her from self-doubting... Read More

This audiobook chronicles the dreary world of Ray "Spike" Thorns, a retired caretaker at a posh English boarding school whose life is dramatically changed when a visiting neighbor is rushed to the hospital and dies. Ray is confused with the dead neighbor and is, thus, officially declared dead. Narrator Peter Noble expertly portrays the hapless Ray; listeners can hear his... Read More

Pamela Dillman masterfully brings to life this delightful comic novel. When two Manhattan socialites are left penniless by their thieving husbands, their shared humiliation is boundless. Dillman's kind but determined Diane and sarcastic, snobbish CeCe must overcome their lifelong rivalry and team up to find lodging and work far from New York. Accompanied by Dillman's finest... Read More

Jennifer Kim tenderly performs this portrait of contemporary Japanese society, which reflects on Japan's work culture. Kim portrays Dok-go, a homeless man who finds community after helping convenience store owner Mrs. Yeom recover her lost handbag. Her performance is sobering and affecting as her slow pace and grave tone convey Dok-go's strong moral code and work ethic,... Read More

Carlotta Brentan rivets listeners with her bewitching voice as she spins the tale of Oriana, a girl who lives in magical Luceria, Italy, in the eighteenth century. As Brentan brings Oriana to life, listeners will find themselves whisked into a world where saints are nocturnal, girls dream of being blacksmiths, and men wear powdered wigs at court. Using an individualized voice... Read More

Narrator Jennifer Pickens nails the sharp, witty tone of this novel set in academia. Robbie, an MFA student nearing graduation, is working on her creative writing thesis, focusing on the theme of infidelity. She is secretly basing it on her advisor, Simone, and Simone's husband, Ethan, who both work in the English department. Ethan is having an affair with the department's... Read More

Imani Jade Powers brings a thoughtful tone to this layered story of love, regret, and quiet resilience, which follows a Croatian woman's journey into midlife. Powers's voice projects the melancholy of Ivona's reflections as she returns to her hometown to care for aging family members and reunite with her childhood love and now ex-husband. Set against the evocative backdrop of... Read More

Narrators Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Renata Friedman bring to life this epic novel spanning the period from 1998 to 2014, when teen Nathanial Rothstein goes missing in Austin, Texas. They voice a wide cast of misfits whose lives intersect during the pivotal summer of 1998. At 16, Rothstein is miserable, yet through a phone-sex hotline, workouts at a boxing gym, and access to... Read More

This collection of interconnected short stories is a delight. Southern humorist and actress Fannie Flagg narrates her own work with a touch of whimsy. You can almost hear the sparkle in her eye as she portrays an assortment of characters all over the country throughout decades. Her pacing is pleasant and relaxed as she brings to life these snapshots of America. The stories... Read More

Piper Goodeve gives an enthusiastic narration of a novel inspired by the true story of one of the first female horse divers. After answering an ad for a girl who loves horses who can dive and swim, Sonora Webster becomes absorbed in the carnival world of early-twentieth-century America. Harsh instruction for Sonora, gentle training of the horses, and the thrilling moments... Read More

Listeners may be tempted to bypass this magnificent audiobook with its unfamiliar character names and sprinkling of Yiddish words. That would be a mistake. This story is universal in its community feeling, challenging parent-child relations, marital troubles, and eternal struggle between tradition and modernity. At a basic level, the story is about a Polish village in the early... Read More

Sofia Jin's lilting tones add a dreamlike quality to her performance, which complements this story's idyllic setting on the outskirts of Seoul. Part bookshop, part café, and part guesthouse, this inspirational retreat invites soul-searching and reflection on identity and career, as well as letting go of expectations from oneself and society. Jin's gentle voice conveys the quiet... Read More

Combining her theatrical training, bilingualism, and Caribbean roots, Almarie Guerra is the ideal person to narrate this audiobook. The saga of a Puerto Rican and Irish American family stretches over three generations as they make their homes in San Juan, New York, and St. Louis. The story touches on the history, culture, and politics of the territory of Puerto Rico, making the... Read More

Juliette Goglia and Nick Thurston share the narration of this thriller set in the high-stakes world of international art dealing. Goglia captures the naïveté of Ingrid, a gallery assistant who falls in love with Rudolph, a shady art dealer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Goglia also portrays many other irritating female characters with a convincing degree of... Read More

Narrator Emily Rankin gives an excellent performance of this moving story about family, sacrifice, soccer, and legacy. Sisters Mia and Cricket were raised by Liz, a single mom. Mia excels academically, and Cricket athletically. As the story begins in the present day and periodically jumps back to their childhood, Rankin creates authentic, engaging characters. Listeners learn... Read More

Sixteen narrators offer a humorous take on contemporary culture, with Bechdel as the deadpan narrator. While her friends navigate their first throuple and her wife, Holly, garners fame as a wood-chopping influencer, Alison is stuck. Her first book has been adapted into a successful TV show, but she struggles with a follow-up. Perhaps writing a script about rejecting consumer... Read More

Madeleine Maby skillfully narrates Harmel's new historical mystery. Jewel thief Colette Marceau has known of her family's history--stealing from the rich and giving to the poor--since she was 14. Seventy years later, a museum exhibit of a unique diamond bracelet catches her attention. The last time she saw that bracelet was in Paris in 1942 on the night her sister, Liliane,... Read More

Kaipo Schwab brings quiet elegance and nuance to this character-driven meditation on creativity, beauty, and ambition in a Japanese architectural firm. His narration captures the calm precision of young Toru Sakanishi as he navigates his first professional position during a bidding war for a high-stakes government project. Schwab's gentle pacing and warm tone mirror Toru's... Read More

Mei Mei Macleod's performance of this speculative novel draws listeners into an alternative world in which slivers of the sun are slowly disappearing. A young woman works at a pharmacy in Five Poems Lake, a village surrounded by deserts. Years ago, her father, a policeman, died mysteriously, and now new clues drive the young woman and her sister, Dong Ji, to investigate how... Read More

This quixotically creative audiobook redefines historical fiction. The author mixes Shakespearean characters and references with contemporary sensibilities, idioms, and colloquialisms to tell the story of Rosie, the eldest daughter of the not-so-doomed Romeo and Juliet. Narrator Suzy Jackson gives Rosie the voice of a modern woman. Rosie has a reputation as a sleuth and was... Read More

The performances of Nathalie Standingcloud, Kamali Minter, and Tanis Parenteau enhance the diverse perspectives of the Cherokee women in this compelling audiobook, which spans more than 30 years. Steph Harper, thoughtfully portrayed by Standingcloud, has a single driving passion: to become a NASA astronaut. Her goal permeates her emotionally complex relationships with her... Read More

Petros Castellanos, a long-haired 17-year-old from a Greek island, is the focus of this Amazon Original audiobook from award-winning author Rose Tremain. Petros's father, a Greek who owns two taxis, wants his son to join the business. Petros's mother is English--and there's the rub. She encourages him to go to London, then see the world. He goes, and it backfires. Narrating in... Read More

Narrator Eunice Wong infuses her delivery with empathy and a sense of dread as PBS correspondent Sandra dies while covering a conference on the violence in Nepal. She enters the bardo, the afterlife of Tibetan Buddhism. There, filled with guilt and anxiety over having died, she tries to save her talented autistic son, Trip, from a ruthless kidnapper. Wong slows to a deliberate... Read More

GM Hakim narrates this witty, introspective audiobook set in Beirut, Lebanon. Raja, a gay 60-something teacher, lives in a cramped apartment with his opinionated mother, Zalfa. Raja's relationship with Zalfa is complex and tumultuous--but full of love. Zalfa's politically active life throws a wrench into Raja's quiet one. When he's offered a mysterious artist's residency in... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Vikas Adam expertly performs two stories, each set in the past and the future. "Jamali Kamali" is an extensive poem imagining the relationship between two figures from 16th-century India. "Zundelstate" is a futuristic romance in which an amateur historian named Joe covertly searches for information from the past. Marianna works for the history-suppressing... Read More

Gilli Messer's narration elevates this slow-moving Hollywood novel spanning two generations. In 1957, blond contract starlet Iz Giori hopes to be Hitchcock's latest star, but when she becomes pregnant, the studio hides her away until they "take care" of things. Leo Chazan, a blacklisted screenwriter who refused to name names during the McCarthy/HUAC hearings, lives in the... Read More

A six-person cast narrates a story spanning two centuries, set on a remote island in New York. Rachel Hirsch portrays Providence, a sweet nineteenth-century maid who is secretly fleeing Boston after the murder of her employer. In modern times, Audrey, portrayed by Helen Laser, is feeling frazzled and cynical due to her responsibility for shepherding her sultry movie star... Read More

The youthful voice of Shannon Tyo is fitting for Vera, a 10-year-old Korean American girl who resides in a dystopian United States with her complicated family. While Vera presents as a conscientious, anxious, overachieving pre-teen, her Russian Jewish father, Anglo Saxon stepmother, and vociferous half-brother (who loves to expose himself to incoming houseguests) are totally... Read More

Narrator Mira Sorvino enchants as she portrays Jess Capodimonte Baratta, a good Italian daughter from New Jersey who finds the courage to break free from a life that seems to be happening without her consent. When an unwanted revelation and an unexpected windfall from her beloved Uncle Louie turn Jess's life upside down, she seeks clarity and a fresh start in her family's... Read More

Benton Frank continues her saga of the Adams family of South Carolina's Lowcountry. Shy, introverted Violet Adams finds herself in a shaky frame of mind now that she and her boyfriend have broken up. At the same time, her best friend, Aly Knox, moves to the Lowcountry after the loss of her mother. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw doesn't give Violet a trace of the Lowcountry accent. Aly, a... Read More

As Mona Awad returns to the dark academia of her cult classic, BUNNY, Sophie Amoss artfully handles the challenging narration. The plot unfolds mostly through monologue and dialogue. Amoss gives specific tones and styles to "the Bunnies," the quartet of entitled MFA students who are holding fellow former grad student Samantha captive because of the way she portrayed them in her... Read More

This audiobook is an offbeat, avant-garde look at the American Southwest as seen through the eyes of a poet, philosopher, cowboy, and "weeper" named Ed. Weepers are professional mourners hired to add tangible signs of grief to funerals. Narrator David Aaron Baker brings Ed to life. His warm and folksy voice is instantly likable. Ed's verbal ruminations are sometimes profound,... Read More

Listeners will either love or hate this story of self-discovery. Narrator Jenapher Zheng portrays Lola, a woman in her early 30s who is mourning the sudden death of a close friend. Lola is launched into social media fame when a video of her giving a monologue on her grief goes viral. Despite moral concerns about capitalizing on personal tragedy, she decides to try to become an... Read More

The advantages and perils of technology have long been examined in fiction, and this audiobook offers an excellent, profoundly human view of the topic. Helen Laser is outstanding as Jane, a teenager who is living off the grid in Montana with her father. As Jane learns more about her history, Laser's portrayal subtly changes to reflect her growth. Jane's voice shifts from that... Read More

Narrators David Rintoul and Rachel Bavidge perform with distinct British styles as this speculative novel jumps around in time. Rintoul portrays Tom, who lives in the 22nd century, when the diminished world has experienced climate catastrophes and been ravaged by AI-controlled wars. Rintoul's professorial tone and diction strongly suggest an indoor life of the mind. Bavidge... Read More

Cassandra Campbell and Helen Laser deliver outstanding performances as Lori, a former-actress-turned-nun, and her niece, Lu, in this dual-timeline story revolving around an Old Hollywood mystery. In 1990, Lu interviews her aunt for her college history thesis. Until now, Lori has refused to talk about her decision to join the Church at the height of her acting career. Laser uses... Read More

Ifan Huw Dafydd gives a performance worthy of this emotional and powerful debut, winner of the Swedish book of the year award, the August Prize. Listeners will become attached to Bo, an elderly man who is determined to keep his son from taking his dog, Sixten, now that his wife is in a facility for dementia, leaving him with only part-time caregivers. Journal entries added by... Read More

This audiobook, narrated by Aja Naomi King, Ashley Nicole Black, and author Angela Flournoy, follows five young women over two decades as they navigate the uncertainty of early adulthood in New York City and Los Angeles. Desiree, Danielle, Nakia, Monique, and January are all dealing with grief, love, loss, and race amid the turbulent backdrop of the George Floyd demonstrations... Read More

At the beginning of this audiobook, the protagonist is experiencing the brain fog of long Covid, losing track of time and events and emotions. As author Patricia Lockwood narrates, she sounds lost and emotionless. But this is a story of survival, so the confusing elements--including the decision not to mention the heroine's name more than twice in the whole story and the... Read More

James Rottger presents this timely story with verve, his Scots accents reflecting its varied locales. When thoughtful Dr. Neil Anderson is misunderstood by a student, a serious complaint results. After he discovers his girlfriend's unfaithfulness, he retreats to the Isle of Mull, rather than defend himself. Rottger lustily utters the strong feelings of longtime friend James,... Read More