New Reviews: Fiction

In a marvelous performance, award-winning actor and LGBTQ+ activist Daniel Henning seamlessly provides all the voices, sounds (BEEP, BEEP, HONK, HONK), prompts, and stage directions in Andy Warhol's 1968 anti-story, anti-plot, anti-novel novel. Basically, a word-for-word transcript of tape recordings of various "24-hour conversations," gossip, and asides, the novel stars a... 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

These annual collections of best short stories are a mixed bag, especially for audiobook listeners. Even before a cast is assembled, the preferences of that year's guest editor have determined how broad or narrow the range of voices, tones, and attitudes will need to be. The good news is that this year's cast is one of the better ensembles-- diverse but compatible, each... Read More

This highly agreeable audiobook presents an engaging plot and introduces multiple spritely characters brought to life by narrator Melissa Advani. An eclectic assemblage of elderly Brits is talked into moving to Bangalore, India, where eldercare is less expensive. They settle into the somewhat derelict Marigold Hotel, a remnant from the era of the Raj. Advani has a gift for... Read More

Narrator Adam Barr paints a vivid picture of this family saga with elements of suspense. Mild-mannered, cautiously ambitious lawyer Monty Atkins has never strayed very far outside the conventions of Charleston society. When a sudden act of violence sends his family into a tailspin, Monty draws on hidden reserves of strength and cunning to keep a further tragedy at bay. Barr... 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

As author/narrator Sam Sussman's autobiographical novel begins, a son is summoned home from studying abroad. His mother meets him at the airport, physically and mentally ravaged from chemotherapy. In a voice pulsating with sincerity and reverence, Sussman has only questions. Why hadn't his mother told him the extent of her illness? Why had she left the big city for an... 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

This audiobook presents a jewel box of late-in-life stories written by a master, and all exceptionally well performed. Rushdie's imagination, wit, and ear for language are on full display in "a quintet" of remarkable fictions. The listener is also treated to five accomplished narrators who capture the author's voice, sometimes standing to the side while explaining the... Read More

Mhairi Morrison's amiable tone and Scottish accent are perfect for this engrossing historical novel, set amid the spiritualist movement of the early 20th century. Two narratives are interwoven: the story of Lottie, the Welsh widow of a Scottish miner, and the story of her granddaughter, Nora Grey. Both Lottie and Nora are exploited in different ways: Lottie by an abusive mine... 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

Throughout this audiobook, translated from a Norwegian novel, an aged ferryman who is navigating familiar fjords picks up passengers--all of them spirits of those he once knew. Accompanied by his faithful departed dog, he waits for his late wife to join him for his final journey out of earthly life. Despite the surreal plot, the audiobook is grounded by evocative physical... 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

This provocative debut audiobook about the lives of two women is enhanced by the pitch-perfect narration of Ellie Gossage. Avery, a 20-something graduate student living in New York City, turns to sex work to finance her education. Her decision is supported by her wealthy best friend, Frances, who drops out of school to marry and later becomes a successful filmmaker. Gossage... Read More

Narrator Daniel Weyman portrays István, an awkward teenager who, as the novel opens, lives in an apartment complex in Hungary. Tragically, the earnest, needy teen falls in love with an older woman, and when he declares his love and confronts her husband, István accidentally kills him. Institutionalization follows--from which he emerges withdrawn and almost incapable of... Read More

Narrators Rita Amparita and Stephanie Németh-Parker add emotional depth to this academic thriller. High-achieving and sardonic sophomore Nina Kaur hopes to be accepted into The House, a sorority that promises success, beauty, and power to its alumnae. As Nina is drawn into The House's rituals, her fear of failure begins to ease. At the same time, the House's newest academic... 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

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

This riveting audiobook about a middle-aged woman in a disastrous marriage is narrated with nuance and conviction by Rebecca Gibel. Charlotte meets Jimbo, a drug addict, and impulsively marries him. Desperately lonely and depressed, she's convinced that being overweight makes her unlovable. Her family connection is strong, especially with her father and her sister, Celia, whose... Read More

The ensemble narration of Corey Brill, Cassandra Campbell, and Renata Friedman renders this audio production a real delight. At a publishing house, unseasoned editors Rebecca Blume and Ben Heath are forced to share a desk on different days of the week. A rivalry ensues, which heats up when a literary giant known as the Lion dies and his literary estate becomes fair game. As the... 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

Narrated by Sara Sheckells, this audiobook is a tender but brutal look at motherhood. Two alternating storylines unfold. One features a young mother who is struggling with her sick daughter while mourning her own independence. The other tells the story of a "princess" who lives an ideal life with her "prince" and their two "heirs." Sheckells uses a breathy, almost ethereal,... 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

Christopher Grant and Golden Voice Robin Miles jointly narrate this expansive collection of work by groundbreaking author Terry McMillan. Included are both published and unpublished works of short fiction, as well as an intriguing assortment of essays, speeches, and literary sketches. Miles, the primary narrator, moves seamlessly among McMillan's characters as she traces a path... 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

Golden Voice narrator Dominic Hoffman narrates his own short story collection with a vocal swagger. His rambling tales, which sound like fever dreams, hook the listener right away. Hoffman's deep, steady voice complements his wily main characters, mostly Black men who are doing their best to navigate an uncertain world. Hoffman is a seasoned actor, and his narration has a... Read More

Listeners will thoroughly enjoy this warm performance by Deanna Anthony. After a grave misunderstanding relating to her position with the Ryser corporation, Lauryn is transferred to its charity department back in her hometown of Greenstead, the town Ryser ran into the ground. She tries to get her old job back, but when she's given the opportunity to work on charity projects... 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

Khaya Fraites and William DeMeritt perform this Southern short story collection full of rich characters with a lot of heart. Moore's stories feature settings that range from mountain hollers to sprawling cities. In one, a deaconess is tempted to sin, and in another a young Texan is determined to marry despite a family curse. In every work, Moore illuminates the lives of Black... Read More

Narrator Stacy Gonzalez delivers a nuanced and affecting performance of Dolores Moore's search for identity as the sole surviving member of her family. Raised by her biological aunt and her partner, Dolores feels unmoored after their deaths and journeys to her birthplace in Cali, Colombia, seeking reconnection with her heritage. Throughout her travels, she's guided by the... 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

Joy Osmanski provides a steady, clear narration of this poignant audiobook involving interrelated characters and far-flung places. In 1998, Mimi Truang is separated from her infant daughter, Kit, in the Philadelphia airport on her way home to Vietnam. Seventeen years later, Kit, who has been adopted by white parents, is preparing for summer travels to Japan, and her friend... 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

Frankie Corzo's performance is perfect for this beautifully written novel. Inés, the youngest of four sisters, wants more for her life than what seems inevitable. Deeply in love with Alessandro, a well-known ne'er-do-well, she is warned against marrying him, but she persists. Corzo makes their honeymoon in Italy sound magical, but it's not long before reality intervenes. "While... 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

"Dear Borrower," sighs narrator Chanté McCormick, voicing the exasperated, exhausted Jada, a 30-something Black woman who has defaulted on her student loans after having lost her job at the mall. College was supposed to be the answer to every question you have at age 18. In her sassy narration, McCormick invites listeners into a perilous and absurd alternate reality for student... Read More

Rachanee Lumayno performs one of the most fascinating and unique novels of the year with skill equal to the quality of the book. Lumayno breathlessly delivers a truly frightening story about an early video game that is too powerful to resist. Her dynamic rendering makes this audiobook as current as today's scary headlines on the future of AI. In the novel, Andi, an aloof... Read More

Narrator Ari Fliakos brings a compassionate tone and exquisite pacing to Irving's sequel to THE CIDER HOUSE RULES--40 years in the making. Complicated, quirky, and enigmatic characters highlight this exploration of anti-Semitism and how Esther Nacht, a Viennese-born Jewish orphan, ends up at an orphanage in St. Cloud's, Maine, where Dr. Wilbur Larch takes her in. Fliakos... 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

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

In 1970s New Hampshire, 17-year-old Coleman Cooper, relatably voiced by narrator David Bryant, is receiving mental health treatment at yet another institution. He follows his therapist's advice to get some work, but when a hospital executive is murdered at a gala where Coleman is serving, he's accused of the crime and must investigate to clear himself. Emma Brace portrays Haley... 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

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

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

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, 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