New Reviews: Fiction

In this engaging collection of short stories by Filipino writer and journalist F.H. Batacan (SMALLER AND SMALLER CIRCLES ), Amielynn Abellera and Ramón de Ocampo alternate narrating the riveting mysteries. Abellera is good at voicing the more suspenseful stories with her faster, clipped style of speaking, while de Ocampo tackles the introspective character studies by languidly... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell becomes the characters in this enchanting novel set in the gardens of Le Château du Paradis. Soft-spoken Eloise Bourn, a flower whisperer who is hoping to remake her life, has taken a job at the Château, where she's bound to strict rules set by the owner. But Eloise senses all is not as it appears and is ever questioning as she settles... Read More

Rose, the octogenarian narrator of Australian writer Bruce Nash's American debut, captures listeners' hearts, tickles listeners' funny bones, and challenges listeners' mystery-solving skills. Narrator Abbe Holmes tells the indomitable Rose's story, projecting her determination to find the right words and make sense of the strange happenings at her care home. Holmes uses a vocal... Read More

Three generations of women face love, war, friendship, and death in Dasher's new audiobook, gracefully narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers. WWI veteran Charles woos Dellie, the daughter of an oilman in Oklahoma. Rodgers delivers just the right notes of love and respect between Charles and Dellie, along with the grit of their daughter, Georgeanne, whose passion is flying. During WWII,... Read More

Julia Whelan and Kristen DiMercurio beautifully narrate a queer love story. Whelan, the main narrator, portrays Joan, a professor of astronomy with a quiet life. But her whole world changes when she's accepted as an astronaut candidate at NASA in 1980. Whelan's rich narration makes each character come to life for listeners, and she excels at portraying Joan's romance with her... Read More

Although six narrators are at work on this short story collection, they all share the same vocal palette. The narrative tone features absurdity and black humor, two examples of which are Sacha Chambers's narration of "The Future Is Not What It Used to Be," which combines time travel and weight loss, and Matt Godfrey's delivery of "A World Without Selfie Sticks," in which a man... Read More

Narrator Caroline Hewitt deftly presents this novel about a fictional friendship between Marilyn Monroe and a young Reno hotel maid. The story takes place in 1960 during the dissolution of Monroe's marriage to playwright Arthur Miller. Chambermaid Pauline fails to recognize the actress when she first cleans her suite--but soon observes Marilyn's transition from sleepy Mrs.... Read More

Emily Rankin's performance is so subtle that she disappears completely into this novel. Michelle Huneven's family saga combines tenderness, sadness, joy, and grief with exquisite prose and psychological insights. The story begins in the 1970s and spans decades. An upper-middle-class family with issues, the Samuelsons, fractures after their golden-boy son, Ellis, dies in a... Read More

Rob Jones's warm English accent matches the friendly and nostalgic tone of this delightful novel. Vienna 1966 is reinventing itself twenty years after the devastation of war, and a new generation is turning the page on the past. Robert Simon, a war orphan, opens a café in a bustling working-class neighborhood. Jones narrates the story of a small slice of Vienna with both humor... Read More

Narrator Quyen Ngo delivers a quietly powerful performance in this moving anthology of short stories that explore postwar and contemporary Vietnam through the voices of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American writers. Ngo's fluent narration immerses listeners in 28 translated stories that touch on themes of war, grief, trauma, and reconciliation. She ensures that each work has a... Read More

Narrated by the author, this collection of 12 short stories, a finalist for the National Book Award, is an exploration of being human--the good, the bad, and the ugly. The accounts of love, loss, family, passion, and heartbreak are enhanced by Amy Bloom's experience as a psychotherapist. Her pacing and conversational delivery engage listeners, as does the diversity of the... Read More

Lydia Leonard's narration of a rocky yet meaningful relationship will ring true for many listeners. Australian Coralie moves to London for work and meets Adam, a political writer with a young daughter, Zora. Leonard chronicles Coralie's romance with Adam through the arrival of two more children--all of which takes place amid the additional stresses of Brexit and the pandemic.... Read More

Cassandra Campbell skillfully narrates this devastating audiobook about a couple named Addie and Leo as they navigate Leo's diagnosis of Lewy body dementia. As Leo's disease progresses, Addie struggles to come to terms with the loss of her husband as she knew him and an uncertain financial future. After an incident with his sister's family, Leo is sent to a care home and then... Read More

Brian Nishii is the perfect narrator for this outstanding alternate history. A U.S. bomber carrying an atomic bomb heads for Japan in early August 1945, but the B-29 crashes and the undetonated bomb falls into the hands of the Japanese. Nishii's performance is riveting as he delivers the events that follow. The Japanese don't know what the bomb resembling a "big, black daikon... Read More

James Fouhey deftly finds the voice of an emotionally torn boy--half Black/half white--a child of the plantation. Joniece Abbott-Pratt digs deep to deliver the tones of a clairvoyant who speaks to ghosts. And Robin Miles uses her theatrical background to give a storyteller's ease to this haunting narrative. Where there's slavery, the Devil can't be far behind, and in this... Read More

The impact of this powerful novel is heightened by Golden Voice narrator Nicholas Boulton's keen understanding of its author's purposes. Kehlmann's episodic multi-perspective imagining of the wartime career of Austrian director G.W. Pabst is technically a satire, but it registers as more of a horror story. Pabst, a leading European director, discovers Greta Garbo and Louise... Read More

Thanks to James Aaron Oh, listeners don't need to have grown up in New England to fall in step with the East Gladness transients in this audiobook. Oh introduces listeners to the region through the poetic perspective of Hai, a troubled Vietnamese son whose failure to realize the American dream haunts him so much that he's preparing to jump off a bridge. Above the churning... Read More

Jacques Roy offers a low-key narration of Kelley's novel about the tedious yet illuminating job of a fact-checker for a popular magazine. Roy delivers some priceless fact-checking phone conversations with celebrities such as Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, as well as a fact- checker's delicate handling of the widow of a dead CIA officer who has purportedly been unfaithful. The... Read More

Bahni Turpin portrays a cast of colorful characters in this story about family, loss, and a decades-old betrayal. When Dawn returns home to inter her husband's ashes, she encounters a journalistic nemesis who, decades before, stole her story and won a Pulitzer for it. Joe, who is in town to make a movie about the story, claims that Dawn is delusional and a liar. When... Read More

VyVy Nguyen and David Lee Huynh bring distinct voices to this complicated, humorous, intergenerational family story of siblings fighting over a sizable inheritance--and their eventual healing. With retirement soon upon him, sandwich mogul Duc Tran challenges his five children to reconcile before their brother gets married and inherits everything. Huynh narrates the first... Read More

Narrated by an ensemble, Poeppel's novel is delightful. Berliners Greta and her husband need a place to live in Dallas when he takes a one-year position there without discussing it with her. Lucy needs to flee Dallas quickly after her teenage son makes a mistake that puts his future in jeopardy. Connected by a mutual contact, Lucy and her children head to Berlin to stay in... 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

Rachel F. Hirsch gives a stellar performance of this poignant coming-of-age novel. After high school, Hannah and her girlfriend, Sam, drive from Long Beach, New York, to San Francisco, dreaming of a queer life outside the confines of their small town. Working as strippers to make ends meet, they grow apart, and Hannah learns there's more to growing up than moving away. Hirsch's... Read More

Historical fiction is a fascinating way to learn about different time periods and significant events. This audiobook explores 1880s Portland, Oregon, a setting not often examined in historical novels. Cindy Kay gives a solid performance, maintaining a clear voice and a measured pace. Some accents are inconsistent, but the momentum of the story continues with few awkward... Read More

Mona Glass sees herself as her own woman--in sole control of her life. In 1970s New York City, Mona is involved with a married man. The two stage a fake wedding to appease Mona's traditional parents, and the narrative that follows recounts Mona's life story after that. Golden Voice Cassandra Campbell's voice is nimble and adept as she unfurls the various events and characters.... Read More

Kaipo Schwab's polished voice and nuanced character portrayals bring warmth to this meditative story about loneliness and reconnections, set during twilight in Tokyo. Schwarb's grounded narration gently recounts each character's story, infusing subtlety, humor, and whimsy as revealed through their interwoven lives. Schwab masterfully conveys the quiet joy and wonder of the... Read More

Coincidently, narrator Justice Smith evokes the sensibility and behavior of a man named Smith. He performs this debut novel thoughtfully and keeps the lid on some wild moments of debauchery in New York's demimonde of partying and self-indulgence. The plot concerns the tribulations of an entitled Stanford graduate--his father was a college president and his mother, a surgeon.... Read More

Narrator Piper Goodeve brings listeners to the town of Bramble, Kentucky, where Marlow Heddings has relocated after the death of her husband, whom she was in the process of divorcing. Looking for a fresh start, Marlow is renting a cabin from ex-Marine Cort Easton and contending with her former in-laws. Goodeve gives them strident tones as they insist on Marlow returning to the... Read More

Emma Galvin gives a sparkling performance of this contemporary audiobook about a Jewish family who move from Brooklyn to a college town in northern Maine. The four members of the family are soon caught up in a "he said/she said" situation revolving around the high school principal's shocking proposition of Hazel, a senior, on her first day of school, and a campus controversy... Read More

A cast of eight narrators, including the author himself, portray the 21 residents of a small town in Ireland who are featured in this exploration of a community in transition. Seven of the narrators have Irish brogues, and one has an English accent. The performances range from a very feminine sounding set of characterizations of younger women by Toni O'Rourke, a more... Read More

Narrator Nicky Endres shows impressive vocal versatility in this queer sports romance. Professional indoor volleyball players Six and Green, both Asian American trans women, are dating. To avoid any flak, they've decided to play on rival men's teams. They have the world's attention as they prepare for their first in-person game since the pandemic, and when a crisis strikes the... Read More

Sharone Halevy's mesmerizing narration envelopes listeners in the disorientating world of an Israeli woman who relocates to the U.S. for a project management position. Soon, this unnamed woman finds herself joining her enigmatic supervisor, David, and other co-workers on frequent hunting trips. As a former member of the Israeli military, she has experience with guns but hasn't... Read More

Mozhan Navabi offers a gentle narration of this retrospective look at the lives of four friends. Her soothing voice carries the necessary gravitas for this tenderhearted novel that explores the ways our chosen families sustain us. Fleeing soul-crushing poverty in France during WWII, Gazala and her brother, Samir, Algerian orphans, find their separate ways to New York City.... Read More

This talented cast enlivens Becker's engrossing historical novel, bringing 1965 pre-Roe v. Wade America to life, a time when women had little independence, voice, or financial power. Gilli Messer projects Lily's frustration as she yearns for more than a predictable suburban life, tries to understand changing values, and asks, "Is this all there is?" Messer also believably... Read More

Ami Okumura Jones narrates this quiet character-driven family drama about three mixed-race British Japanese sisters. Rei, the oldest, works in corporate finance in London, while middle sister Kiki is a single mother working in a retirement home in Tokyo. Youngest sister Ai is a rising J-pop idol caught in a national scandal. Ai's troubles bring the sisters back to their seaside... Read More

Narrator Samantha Piper takes listeners to Camp Burntshore, a Jewish camp on a fictional lake in Ontario. This summer several staff vacancies have been filled by young members of the Israeli Defense Forces. They fit in way better with the horny, seemingly perpetually high counselors than does protagonist Ruby, a staunch anti-Zionist. Piper's staccato narrative style works well... 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

Emily Woo Zeller delivers this hopeful domestic drama about an unnamed Chinese American woman who is navigating a divorce and an illness. Weeks after her husband, Sam, bluntly confesses to an affair and moves out of their home, the woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. She copes with the separation by writing a manual about her ex-husband and sharing Chinese folklore that was... Read More

Two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father's lakefront home in Maine after his death travel a bumpy road toward sisterhood. This audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Mara Wilson. Thirty-year-old Lucy, portrayed in a light, earnest tone, is spending the month of July at her father's summer home. Lucy and her warmhearted mother, a waitress, never lived with Hank... Read More

The title suggests the quintessential summer listen, and it doesn't disappoint. Jaime Lamchick delivers a strong performance of this audiobook, confidently telling the story of Nicola, Juliana, David, and Taylor. She captures nuances in conversations well, and the way she uses shifts in tone to add personality is quite effective. Inspired by the Fitzgerald classic THE GREAT... Read More

The competition among the parents of Los Angeles's elementary school scene is front and center in this audiobook, narrated by Helen Laser. The dark comedy focuses on four moms: Milly, head of the PTA; Jillian, whose daughter is wait-listed by every private middle school; Dawn, who is back in L.A. after being exiled because of her husband's actions; and Heather, the person who... Read More

Hillary Huber narrates this charming story of a cross-country road trip, an elderly woman with a wild past, and the subdued college student she convinces to be her getaway driver. Louise is a senior citizen with a newly healed hip, a need for privacy, and a secret past. Tanner is a college student who was recently divested of her soccer scholarship after a major injury and is... Read More

Nicholas Boulton's dignified English voice sets the stage for this novel about several mental hospital outpatients who are experiencing various aspects of life in London in the period from WWII to the 1980s. Golden Voice Boulton's narration is descriptive and employs various emotions when needed, such as gravitas for the bombings of London in the 1940s. The relationships among... Read More

Narrator Coral Peña brings sensitivity and strength to this sweeping historical novel about bold Emilia, a young woman who is driven by her intellect, curiosity, and deep longing to chart her own path. She begins as an illegitimate daughter in America and grows into a fearless war correspondent in Chile. Peña's handling of multiple characters across continents and classes is... Read More

Dervla Kirwan delivers a stunning performance of Knapp's powerful novel about the weight of choice, the search for identity, and the complexities of family. Her buttery voice creates a striking paradox--soothing and steady yet cut by the cruelty and sharpness of this story about Cora and the three narratives that unfold around the different names she gives her baby boy. Kirwan... Read More

Author and narrator Stephen Fry's fourth and final installment of his Greek Myths series showcases, yet again, his virtuoso storytelling skills. His literary retelling of Homer's tale of Odysseus's arduous journey home from the Trojan War stays true to themes of heroism, home, and the human condition while infusing the narrative with a modern wit and accessibility. There's... 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

Set in 1967 in Toronto with scenes in Vietnam, this historical novel is performed admirably and authentically with Canadian inflections throughout by Liz Leafloor and Erin Moon. They deliver the voices and styles of both women and men in just the right tones and cadences. This matters in a novel that jumps from war protest to a psych ward and to the jungles of Vietnam. The plot... Read More

Compelling and thought-provoking, this audiobook pulls listeners in and immerses them in a single-room flat in Singapore. Beginning in the present, the story jumps back to the past, introducing Genevieve, who is an only child for eight years--until Arin arrives. The girls navigate that transition, bonding as sisters until fractures take place. Ambition, betrayal, and resentment... Read More

An ensemble enthusiastically depicts the American Library in Paris in this novel. Patrons and staff share their experiences, taking listeners behind the scenes of the renowned institution. Program Director Lily from Montana and her friend, Mary Louise, both portrayed by Pauline Chalamet, carry the story, including a subplot that involves a search for the long-lost friend of... Read More

Lawyer Jia Song, the ambitious daughter of Korean American grocery store owners, is determined to rise above her humble beginnings. Narrator Michelle Lee slips smoothly into Jia's driven, fast-talking persona with a crisp assurance that reflects both the character's ambition and underlying anxiety. When Jia is called in to assist with the infamous Park family's complex divorce,... Read More

Natsumi Kuroda's narration brings a gentle steadiness to this collection of short stories set aboard a train on Japan's Hankyu Line. As the works unfold, Kuroda is a grounding presence, providing space for the emotions of the myriad passengers. With characters ranging from a bride dressed for her wedding day to a grandmother and her granddaughter, the stories are a... Read More

Pretty tame by modern standards, John Broderick's first novel was so scandalous when it first appeared in 1961 that it was banned in Ireland for its claim that respectable Irish people were having sex--some of it homosexual. In Patrick Moy's strong narration, the audiobook is more about human identity than sex, and the story is full of people who are troubled about who and what... Read More

Cassandra Campbell portrays a woman who's trying to recover from a series of personal challenges. When Gwen Gilmore arrives in Port Anna, Maine, she's determined to climb out of a deep emotional hole after losing her mother, her job, and her long-term boyfriend one after the other. While staying at her family's cottage, she tries to find a new job and dig herself out of an... Read More

Narrator Katharine Chin's quiet steadiness mirrors Joan Liang's resilience as her life takes increasingly unexpected turns that include, immigration, divorce, remarriage, and eventually entrepreneurship. This is the story of a woman who is constantly in search of fulfillment. Chin's pacing allows listeners space for reflection while keeping them engaged throughout the novel's... 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

Narrated by Angela Ness, Buchanan's debut features Fiona, an environmental influencer who is mourning the loss of her partner, Ed, who was killed by police during a climate change protest. When a plant begins to talk to her, she is convinced that Ed has been reincarnated. Meanwhile, London is experiencing an unprecedented drought with an imminent storm surge predicted to... Read More

Set in a small Pennsylvania town in 2004, this queer coming-of-age audiobook is full of heated longing and the physicality of basketball. Dani Martineck embodies high school senior Mack, whose life revolves around her love of basketball and her complicated friendship with her new teammate, Liv. Martineck's sometimes husky, sometimes clipped voice captures all of Mack's... Read More

Lisa Flanagan's narration captures Nell Zink's comic timing and droll observations with flair. A group of quirky uber-wealthy misfits find themselves at an exclusive Michelin-starred dinner to honor a literary award recipient. The food proves disappointing, and the guests leave, heading out into nighttime Berlin. Some go off in search of more satisfying fare, possibly Burger... Read More

Carol Schneider performs the many voices in this comic novel with a sure sense of its humor and pathos. She does accents well, shifts smoothly among the many characters, and gives a distinct tone and tempo to the three leads: children's author Frances Partridge, whose "snap" occurs at a middle school; auto mechanic Geraint Blevins, who reacts creatively to his unctuous boss... Read More

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini portrays Rhys Kinnick, a heartbroken retired environmental journalist and grandfather who tries to save his family. Ballerini delivers scenes playing out all over the country in which family members on opposite sides of the political fence argue and end up estranged due to disinformation and political manipulation. Kinnick cuts himself off from the... 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

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

Mayuri Bhandari brings grace and gravity to a richly imagined alternate history in which the British never left India as a colonial authority. Bhandari's voice captures the emotional intensity of Kalki Divekar's path from grieving daughter to daring revolutionary. Bhandari's precise and lyrical delivery parallels the 10 avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindu god, whom Kalki... Read More

A'rese Emokpae brings emotional precision and depth to Sommy's struggles with migration, grief, and identity as she arrives in America on the heels of family tumult. Emokpae's voice carries a quiet intensity that reflects her struggles with guilt, cultural displacement, and complex relationships strained by distance and silence. Sommy must juggle her past and present, along... Read More

Golden Voice Robert Petkoff hits the comedic highs and lows in this audiobook so well that listeners may be surprised by the emotional impact he delivers. Casey is struggling to find meaning in his boring job, his divorce, and the death of his stoic father. At least there's the game of golf. Discovering his father's coveted bag of golf clubs, Casey takes a sabbatical and hits... Read More

Nancy Wu narrates a story of an alternate reality in Japan in which children are created artificially, not by intercourse. Wu brings a measured clarity to Amane's perspective as she and her ex-husband search for love in this unique society. Wu captures both Amane's deep discomfort with her world and the intensity of her private longings. Wu's understated delivery is... 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

A trio of narrators embody three celebrity friends who are trying to deal with the pitfalls of fame and fortune while growing up in the public eye. Dominique Salvacion is Miranda, a child movie star who goes from fun-loving party girl to rehab failure. Caroline Hewitt is Germaine, whose celebrity is based on being an heiress to a real estate magnate and who questions her fame... Read More

Octogenarian Eliza Pickney is the matriarch of her vast homestead in the lush South Carolina Low Country, and her plan to preserve the family land in a conservancy disrupts her descendants' expectation of inheritance. The story unfolds in two timelines: Jenna Lamia charmingly narrates Eliza's stories from her early life, while Cassandra Campbell superbly portrays Eliza in her... Read More

Melanie Crawley and David Thorpe narrate this increasingly disturbing mystery rife with red herrings. Listeners meet Susanna and Matt, who are grieving over the loss of their infant when they hire Reka, a young Hungarian nanny, to care for their 4-year-old. From the audiobook's opening, an ongoing unease prevails. Crawley's Susanna sounds vulnerable, especially when she begins... Read More