New Reviews: Fiction

The strength of Eunice Wong's narration is her ability to capitalize on the humor underlying this novel about Young Wang's coming of age in the 1990s. As Young tries to find his own way in the world, Wong breathes life into the diverse cast of characters with an energetic precision that gives this audiobook the feeling of a lively radio drama. Her dexterity helps the listener... Read More

Cassandra Campbell and Ashley Klanac work together beautifully to unfold the mystery at the heart of this debut audiobook. Julia, a first-time novelist who is struggling to make ends meet as a bartender in contemporary Brooklyn, receives an offer from photographer Jonathan Aster. He wants Julia to research a photograph he took in 1964 of a woman falling from a bridge in... Read More

Miranda July perfectly delivers the overanxious voice of a quirky, unnamed protagonist who realizes, too late, that she's having a midlife crisis. After planning a cross-country road trip from L.A. to New York City, she impulsively takes an exit a half-hour from her house and stays in a tiny motel. This one decision sends her on a perimenopausal coming-of-age adventure full of... Read More

Helen Laser gives an extraordinary performance of this inventive story set in the world of reality television. Marsh is a 40-something divorced woman with an unsatisfying career, an unhappy romantic life, and a complicated relationship with her teenage daughter. When she's selected to star in a reality TV show that is a global sensation, she is given the opportunity to redo her... Read More

With its compelling story and powerful narration, this audiobook keeps listeners invested until the very end. In 1985, Cuban artist Anita de Monte is found dead in New York City. Her death is briefly the talk of the town, but then she's essentially forgotten. In 1998, Raquel Toro, a Puerto Rican first-generation art student, is seeking a topic for her thesis. The story... Read More

Narrator Alexandra Grey transports listeners to a working-class neighborhood in 1980-1990s Madrid. The coming-of-age story is told through the first-person perspective of an unnamed trans woman who recounts growing up in a poverty-stricken area of Madrid that is filled with heroin addiction, violence, death. Grey's understated performance of the lyrical writing creates a... Read More

Nancy Wu's stellar performance dramatizes the highs and lows of Korean pop music. She captures the excitement of being a global superstar and the intense personal struggles of singers who are climbing the charts. When K-pop lead singer Sang Duri draws public ire for his lyrics, events are set in motion that threaten to shake the entire South Korean music industry. With her... Read More

Shridhar Solanki, Sharmila Devar, and Kemmer Keswani Cope work together to bring to life this well-told family drama. Devar is the voice of the aging matriarch Sultana, who is wasting away from illness. Cope and Solanki dramatize the siblings Imran, Sumaya and Majid, who go in separate directions after their mother's death. Well-versed in South Asian culture, the narrators... Read More

Langan's dystopian thriller is set in the not-too-distant-future. Cassandra Campbell brings to life a dispassionate narrator and a wide range of unique characters. The Farmer-Bowens find themselves in Plymouth Valley, a company town where all needs are met. There Russell snags a job with Better World. Russell's voice sounds distracted and distant as he struggles to succeed.... Read More

Hari Kunzru narrates his novel, set during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jay, once a rising star in the British art world, is now living in his car in the U.S. Kunzru lends his own English accent and gravelly timbre to working-class Jay. One day, on his pizza delivery route, Jay's ex, Alice, opens the door, feels sorry for him, and offers him shelter. She's living with the man she... Read More

Jon Fosse, the Norwegian Nobelist, writes in an interestingly elliptical style. His phrases and sentences loop around, repeating and echoing themselves, much the way many people think--and, in this audiobook, the way the protagonist avoids thinking about certain subjects that are too complicated and too painful for him to process neatly. The story is set in a coastal Norwegian... Read More

Brooklyn, the titular protagonist of this novel, is hard to like. Similarly, Keyonni James provides a less-than-stellar narration of the life of this young woman born into a stiflingly conservative family. The telling of this fascinating mixture of drama and thriller is sadly marred by James as she attempts a heavy New York accent that is so overplayed that most native speakers... Read More

Dion Graham brings Buster the dog to life as he narrates his life story. Highly acclaimed as a narrator and actor, Graham uses his considerable acting skills to share Buster's tale. Graham's voice, deliciously deep and a bit gravelly, lends itself to the voice of this canine. First owned by a family in public housing in DC, Buster is stolen by an abusive, alcoholic man and goes... Read More

Hanako Footman brings gravitas and humor to this psychologically insightful novel based on the true crime of a gourmet cook/con woman/serial killer. Using a clever ploy, journalist Rika secures a meeting with taciturn Manako Kajii in her Tokyo jail cell. Imprisoned for the deaths of three wealthy businessmen, Kajii refuses to talk about her case but willingly talks about food,... Read More

Narrator Helen Laser portrays Billie West, a lonely teen who is growing up poor with a mentally ill mother and a worthless stepfather who eyes Billie like an enticing pastry. Karissa Vacker portrays Cassie, a former rich girl who has high ambitions and the guts to make them happen. The pair meet in childhood and promise each other they'll always be friends. In alternating... Read More

Franz Kafka's legacy can be seen in this series of vignettes. The performances are consistently subtle and deliberately nondescript, adding to the listener's feelings of confusion and claustrophobia. Some highlights: Penelope Rawlins captures a developing feeling of dread as a prospective client tours a new studio apartment with curious design qualities, including a single... Read More

In the great tradition of storytelling, Columpa Bobb tells of a village in Nuu'Chahlnuth territory in southwestern British Columbia. Told from the point of view of Mink, a shape-shifter, the account traces events in Celia's village, particularly her attempt to help her community heal after a brutal incident. Bobb takes advantage of rhythm, riding the emotions of the characters... Read More

Thom Rivera pulls out all the stops with this intriguing Latinx retelling of the classic FRANKENSTEIN. A dwindling workforce leads to corpses being reanimated as the solution to cheap, plentiful labor. An unnamed reanimated man working as a paralegal meets a sassy lawyer, Faustina Godinez. Through observing her social circle, he begins to question what his life was like before... Read More

Samantha Tan's melodic voice carries listeners through a story that spans continents and decades. It follows a group of gay men and the women entangled in their lives from the cinema in Fuzhou, China, where they cruise and find refuge in the 1980s, to Manhattan's Chinatown through the present day. Tan expertly navigates a range of points of view, embodying characters of... Read More

Russ Bain flawlessly presents Carys Davies's novel featuring three extraordinary, believable characters in 1840s Scotland. Listeners meet awkward Reverend John Ferguson and his kindhearted wife, Mary as he sets sail for a remote island to evict Ivar, who's lived there alone for decades. Bain seamlessly blends Davies's three disparate viewpoints and moving descriptions of Ivar's... Read More

Helen Laser delivers a tender and inviting performance of this dual- perspective novel about grief, friendship, and crows. Grad student Frankie has retreated to her family's cabin after a series of disappointments, hoping to make something out of the scraps of her dissertation. When she rescues an injured baby crow, she meets Anne and her son, Aidan. Anne, an Irish musician, is... Read More

In this short story narrated by Joyce Bean, we follow three elderly friends--Myrna, Leonie, and Chrissy--who gather once a week to taste exotic cheeses. Their routine takes an unexpected turn when they decide to take revenge upon a group of male poets who ruined the career and well-being of their dear friend, Fern, years ago. The story primarily revolves around the themes of... Read More

Acclaimed narrator Dion Graham performs this dynamic, artfully crafted novel about a biracial author/academic who becomes the owner of a plantation on the Delmarva Peninsula after the death of his son. This work of literary fiction morphs back and forth from reality to fantasy, from tragedy to dark humor, from past trauma to present emotional upheavals. Graham's voice is well... Read More

The trials and tribulations of a young person's senior year in high school can make for a gripping listen. Add the loss of a father at the start of high school, as well as the voice of a professional wrestler making occasional snide remarks that only our heroine, Julie, can hear, and you have the makings of an entertaining and heartwarming story. Joy Nash does a great job... Read More

In this audiobook, Doris loses her husband to her best friend. As listeners follow Doris's life, they'll encounter other characters who are also in the midst of various life crises. The story focuses on how people support each other during such hard times. Liz May Brice brings emotional depth to all these folks, allowing listeners to connect with them on a deeper level. Brice's... Read More

Kevin R. Free's performance requires a skilled handling of this material, which he accomplishes successfully. Stoopendaal's story is told from the perspective of a nameless adult male. You likely know the type: a budding intellectual filled with important thoughts who applies conceptual frameworks to everyday life yet is steeped in outdated gender stereotypes. Motivated by... Read More

Alex Jennings provides a sensitive narration of Perry's multilayered novel, a meditation on loneliness and the fragility of human connections, as seen through the motif of a comet's recurring orbits. With a thoughtful air, Jennings tells the interconnected stories of columnist Thomas Hart, a closeted gay man who lives in the village of Aldleigh; Maria Vaduva, a... Read More

Ami Park, with additional narration from Sue Jean Kim, performs this engrossing novel from an American rising literary star. Photographer Jin Han lives a quiet life with her husband as she tries to make it as an artist in San Francisco. When she meets ballet dancer Lidija Jung, her entire world changes forever. Jin feels immediately drawn to Lidija, who quickly becomes her... Read More

Lanessa Tremblett narrates Jennifer Croft's intricate story of acclaimed Polish author Irena Rey. Rey invites eight of her translators to her home in the Bialowieza Forest to translate her latest title into their native languages. The translators are known only by their country's names, but after Irena disappears, leaving the group to function alone, their true names and... Read More

Penelope Keith and Russell Tovey embody the warmth of the protagonists in this charming novel told from dual perspectives. Tovey narrates with emotional vulnerability and an inquisitive tone in portraying Clayton Stumper. The lovably old-fashioned 26-year-old unravels the final mystery left by the legendary puzzle maker Pippa Allsbrook, who raised him in her later years after... Read More

Genevieve Gaunt's narration allows listeners to enter the hearts of the Rosenthals, a Jewish family living in London after WWII. Initial scenes describe the dying patriarch, Yosef, a Holocaust survivor. Though his appearance is brief, his impact on the family is convincing because of Gaunt's depiction of his age, accent, and authority. Yosef's death yields to the family's... Read More

Darrell Dennis navigates this touching novel about a family in distress; it's a gritty story about addiction, dementia, and obligations. Charles Lamosway is a white man raised on Maine's Penobscot reservation--an outsider. With the empathy created by Dennis, listeners will root for Charles as he deals with losing his mother and trying to connect with an estranged daughter, both... Read More

What if you were so good at your job as a rental stranger that you started believing your roles were real? Julian Cihi gives a convincing and moving portrayal of a young man who has many identities--except his own. Cihi's range of voices and accents illuminates the diverse roles he adopts for clients who have hired him through the Rental Stranger app. While Cihi's even tone... Read More

Nan McNamara gives a nuanced performance of this audiobook revolving around a well-known feminist writer whose ordered existence in New York City becomes compromised by a medical diagnosis. The imposing 75-year-old Florence Gordon lives an independent life and has little contact with her family. Then her son, Daniel, a Seattle police officer, travels with his wife, Janine, and... Read More

Narrator Tanya Eby tells the story of Erica; her 17-year-old daughter, Summer; and Erica's ex-husband Peter's pregnant wife, Allison. When Peter ends up in jail, Allison is left with a toddler and no money. As Summer pleads with her mother to rescue Allison, Eby captures Summer's youthful exuberance and her mother's controlling personality. Allison is younger than Erica, and... Read More

Soneela Nankani's narration maximizes this story of reunion and suspense. Her expressive voice captures the complexities of Raj and Rachel Ranjani's special weekend. Their lavish plan to celebrate the launch of their high-end winery in Napa Valley with their best friends from college exposes simmering tensions beneath the surface. Nankani's skillful character differentiation... Read More

Ellie Gossage gives an intense and wonderfully introspective performance of this unsettling novel. Helen is lesbian lawyer whose parents have recently been incarcerated for an appalling crime of neglect. She's nearly perfected the art of compartmentalizing her trauma and using sex to distract herself, but she takes it to another level when she becomes involved with an older... Read More

This audiobook narrated by Liz Fodor explores sisterhood, history, family, love, and forgiveness. Sisters Emma and Agathe are complete opposites. Though close as children, they have grown apart in adulthood but now find themselves together as they empty their beloved grandmother's house in the Basque country. The story is told from varying perspectives and alternates between... Read More

Narrator Vikas Adam gives a powerfully affecting performance of this literary audiobook. Twenty years ago, Ashok and Priya Shah emigrated from India to the U.S. They've worked hard to build a life in the wealthy Pacific Hills for their family of five, including two teen daughters and a 12-year-old neurodivergent son named Ajay, who is tall and looks much older. They find... Read More

Steven Rowley gives an exuberant performance of this heartwarming story about treasuring family. When his brother announces his upcoming remarriage, Patrick O'Hara, a gay sitcom star, must resume his most challenging role--as gay Uncle (guncle) Patrick, aka "GUP," to his teenage nephew, Grant, and niece, Maisie. Rowley's portrayals of the teens' complex emotions regarding their... Read More

Priya Ayyar brings emotional depth to this novel about a young Indian American woman's coming of age and unexpected entry into motherhood. She captures Vega--a quiet, shy college student--at a time of raw vulnerability by gently voicing her hopes, fears, triumphs, and heartaches. In an understated style, Ayyar softly explores Vega's exploration of what transforms a house, a... Read More

Amanda Ronconi deftly narrates Waldman's sophomore novel, which follows a big-box store's logistics team as they work the 4:00 a.m. shift, unloading trucks and hauling merchandise to the store's floor. When the store manager announces his departure, the team's ambitious, breezily offensive leader, Meredith, seems poised to take over. Meredith is undeniably awful, but the team... Read More

Sometimes you stumble across an audiobook with such a bizarre and intriguing performance that you want to devour it. Such is the case with Sarah Crossan's novel and her outstanding performance of it. Dolores divorces her husband after discovering he's been having an affair with an AI sex bot named Zoey, which she eventually keeps. At first, Dolores explores her hate for the... Read More

The stories in this audiobook collection have subjects as wide as the list of narrators is long, and the result is excellent. All the titles--based in New England and spanning centuries--create their own world, yet connections both clear and subtle link them beautifully. There is not a weak performance, and each narrator is perfectly suited to his or her story. "Radiolab:... Read More

Golden Voice Narrator Marin Ireland performs this debut novel, which features two queer artists. Housemates Bernie and Leah set off on a road trip to capture the heart of Pennsylvania in photographs and words. While they travel across the state, their relationship grows deeper as they try to make sense of the world around them through their art. Ireland's performance makes... Read More

Eileen Stevens's openhearted performance will warm listeners to the core and inspire a sense of the true goodness in the world. Violet Powell is determined to make the most of her second chance after getting out of prison in Maine. She vows she won't be the sum of her worst act--killing a woman while driving drunk. She finds two unexpected allies in Harriet, the volunteer book... Read More

Christian Barillas beautifully narrates this touching yet tragic story of queer first love. Daniel De La Luna begins his freshman college year feeling like an outsider. Upon meeting his handsome new roommate, Sam Morris, Daniel cannot deny his feelings for the gentle young man. As the year progresses, it becomes clear that Sam reciprocates Daniel's love, care, and passion. When... Read More

Narrator Miranda Raison immerses listeners in this intriguing speculative audiobook. Lauren, a single 31-year-old British woman, comes home from a party to discover she has a husband waiting for her in her apartment. When he goes off to change a light bulb in the attic, he is replaced by another man. This cycle continues for months as Lauren tries out short and long-term... Read More

This audiobook concerns two women who are separated by decades and continents but joined by blood, tragedy, and a bejeweled cobra bracelet. The romantic story is rendered perfectly by two narrators. Helen Laser portrays the contemporary New England heroine, Mallory, a single mom. Caroline Hewitt depicts Hannah, who in 1952 is living in Cairo, which is seething with revolution.... Read More

With a tranquil steadiness and an ear for sharp poetic detail, David Aaron Baker captures a very American, or perhaps a very post-American, voice in this postapocalyptic tale of a man who witnesses a world unraveling. Books are banned. Food is scarce. And murders go unpunished. Our hero sails across the Great Lakes in search of old memories and a shelter in the storm. When he... Read More

Chanté McCormick and Torian Brackett narrate this collection, dividing the stories between them. The intensely emotional audiobook focuses on the experiences of immigrant and first-generation Americans in Newark, New Jersey, and all kinds of relationships. McCormick takes a gentle tone in her performances, subtly developing diverse character voices and going all-out on the... Read More

Cassandra Campbell and Barrie Kreinik bring this historical novel's two timelines to life. In 1890, Annie, an Irish maid for a wealthy family, is deceived by love and wrongly accused of theft. Sentenced to prison, Annie is subjected to sexual harassment and acts of violence. Injustice drives her to revenge. In 1972, Judy, an aspiring photographer, spies Annie's mug shot and... Read More

In a masterful performance, Deepti Gupta delivers this story of twin sisters who are torn apart by family mores in 1950s Bombay. She brings the ever-rising stakes for Jaya and Kamlesh to the listener in living color. Her nuanced performance captures each character, particularly determined and passionate Jaya. Gupta's subtle shifts in tone and accent also enhance the... Read More

Helen Laser brings a crisp no-nonsense timbre to the lush, narcissistic world of celebrities that ghostwriter Mari Hawthorn must navigate to survive in Palm Springs. Mari gets her big break when she's hired to write notorious model Anke Berben's memoir. Laser makes her excitement and trepidation palpable with a well-chosen combination of hushed tones and even diction. Anke is... Read More

Vikas Adam brings color to this unique international drama. His expressive voice captures the ups and downs of young Egyptian American Azaan's life in California. When Azaan's parents catch him kissing Madison, his American crush, he is exiled to Egypt. Adam dramatizes Azaan's development from a rebellious teen who is forced to study religion to an adult who poses as a fake... Read More

Richard Lam narrates this coming-of-age story of 13-year-old Hoi Wing Woo with honesty and compassion. Woo, who is sent to Canada from China in 1913 by his father, is isolated, lonely, and frustrated by his mind-numbing job in a Chinese laundry. Bullying and language barriers are causing his dream of becoming a scholar to fade. Elder Uncle is demanding and impatient, while... Read More

Four narrators lend their talents to a love story that spans decades. Leanne Woodward portrays stoic Chloe, a young librarian who is struggling to raise three younger siblings. When she stumbles upon an old book with intriguing marginalia, she strives to uncover the developing love story with the help of Joe Zack, a suave flirt portrayed by Joe Jameson, who makes him completely... Read More

Jing Lusi's first-rate facility with accents highlights Kevin Kwan's latest globe-hopping tale of the excesses of the super-rich. Lusi portrays the large cast of men and women of differing classes from all around the world, keeping them distinguished from one another. Once again, Kwan takes us on a wild ride while chronicling racism, classism, poverty, and environmental... Read More

Marisa Blake's vocal agility does justice to the emotional roller-coaster ride of Tatum Vega. When a woman accuses the famous Latinx writer M. Dominguez of sexual harassment, a NEW YORK TIMES reporter contacts Tatum. Now living in Chile, Tatum reexamines her long and complicated relationship with the much older Dominguez. Blake has an impressive emotional command of her... Read More

Mozhan Navabi performs this audiobook with the right tone and tempo. She narrates crisply and captures the guilt-ridden Ellie, who is tormented by her past. Ellie's best friend, political activist Homa, is voiced with a younger sound and tone (by Nikki Massoud). Her voice is fitting for the youthful Iranian revolutionary who champions women's rights and democracy and is jailed... Read More

Narrator Diontae Black delivers a wide-ranging and thoughtful performance of the estranged Solomon siblings, who reunite to bury their father and save their ancestral land. Black's voice is reserved and introspective for eldest son Junior--whose failing marriage and secret boyfriend could cost him everything. Black adds gravel to his voice for Mance, a family man who is trying... Read More

Rufi Thorpe's astonishing and timely novel is given a satisfying narration by actor Elle Fanning, who will star in the upcoming Apple TV adaptation. Fanning infuses intelligence and emotional depth into her portrayal of 19-year-old Margo, who becomes pregnant by her married college professor. Margo's inability to access affordable childcare, coupled with lack of help from her... Read More

This splendid romantic adventure, loosely based on the Persephone myth, receives a sterling performance by Ariel Blake. In the fifteenth century, Odòdó is a member of the women's blacksmith's guild in Timbuktu, where conditions are terrible for her and other women. When Timbuktu falls, Odòdó is abducted and spirited away to the Royal City, where her life changes forever. The... Read More

Gail Shalan approaches this story of one of the most controversial figures in Greek mythology in a tone of hushed gravitas. When young Medea gains the favor of the goddess Athena, her path to notoriety paved in blood and magic is sealed. Shalan's vocal agility is undeniable; one minute she is Medea as a child, high-pitched and naïve, and the next, she embodies Medea's father,... Read More

Katie Leung narrates this time-travel novel from the point of view of the unnamed protagonist, who works as a "bridge" at the British government's Ministry of Time. They have technology that allows them to pluck people out of time and are studying whether these "expats" can survive with no ill effects. The bridge is helping her expat, 1800s polar explorer Graham Gore, adapt to... Read More

Mara Wilson offers an admirable performance of this audiobook, the tenth in Maupin's Tales of the City series. Although part of a popular series, this title easily stands on its own. Mona Ramsey hosts American tourists Rhonda and Ernie Blaylock at her grand country home in the English countryside. Parallel plotlines unfold as Midsummer festivities approach. Wilson's timing and... Read More

This audiobook is about the perils of a family that has the unique ability to time travel. Rebecca Yeo's cautious pace and refined British accent underpin the anxiety felt by Tommy and Eva when their parents vanish into the past one day, never to return. The chapters are broken into bite-size chunks--the longest being just over 23 minutes--a structure that makes the abruptly... Read More

Christina Delaine's Russian accent is without equal in this expansive family story. Zhenia awaits the birth of her first child at the same time that she anticipates the loss of her beloved grandmother. Out of the blue, she is contacted by a psychic who offers her the opportunity to communicate with her great-grandmother, whose story provides context for Zhenia's own personal... Read More

With warmth and charm, Christina Moore narrates the newest novel in Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series. After two years in Chicago, studying for her master's degree, Summer Sullivan returns to Elm Creek to complete her thesis. Although she's surrounded by old friends and the comfort of the quilting community, Summer struggles with writer's block and a looming deadline.... Read More

Steve Hendrickson's storytelling style is fittingly restrained as he narrates this coming-of-age story set in Siberia. The 13-year-old protagonist, who lives in an orphanage, befriends an enigmatic Armenian teen, Vardan, who is sickly and wise. He suffers from an illness aptly called "the Armenian Disease." He and others are camped by a Siberian prison awaiting their... Read More

Amin El Gamal is a talented narrator who brings out the drama and grit of the alleyways of modern Tehran. He becomes the voice of Issa, a salesman who is increasingly drawn into the lives of those living on the margins in his downtrodden neighborhood. Fans of international literature will sink into this story of how oppression seen cannot be unseen--especially by this reluctant... Read More

Anniwaa Buachie and Thabang Makhubela combine forces in this hilarious short story collection filled with contemporary Nigerian women who are grappling with a range of challenges. From wives who regret their marital choices to those who band together against scheming husbands, this is a treat of a listening experience. Buachie's delivery is laced with a lyrical rhythm that... Read More

In this satirical audiobook, a full cast flips the script on privilege, race, and gender roles in an upper-class neighborhood called Malcolm X Estates. The narrators are deliberately over-the-top as they capture the many laugh-out-loud situations that take place when a white family moves into the Black neighborhood. Clare Brown, author and one of the key narrators, portrays... Read More

Gilli Messer's luminous narration enlivens this unusual love story. Greenland resident Ilsa Erlund is noted for her work translating French poetry into Greenlandic, although she's never been to France. Asked to translate the works of famed 70-ish French poet Geoffrey "Po" Labaye, Ilse decides to go to Provence to work directly with him. Messer channels Ilse's delight with the... Read More

In a patrician-sounding voice, narrator Zion Jang portrays a group of Washington, DC, interns. The senators they serve, known as the "Gang of Six," are considered the wheeler-dealers of the Senate. One of them is about to die. Listeners will enjoy Jang's performance as he creates a personality for each of the interns by changing tone and rhythm. Especially notable is Cameron... Read More

Catherine Ho infuses this tech-infused comedy with a vibrant expressiveness that will have listeners laughing throughout. She captures the emotional roller-coaster ride of rising tech star Sara Chae as she deals with the ultimate digital mishap. Sara's startup company offers a remarkable service--the ability to have posthumous messages delivered to the living after a customer's... Read More

In an engrossing, well-characterized performance, Nicole Lewis captures the anguish and suspense in acclaimed YA author Nicola Yoon's first adult novel. Moving to the fictional gated community of Liberty, California, hailed as a Black utopia, Jasmyn Williams assumes she and her husband, King, will find like-minded friends and neighbors with whom to carry on the fight for racial... Read More

A woman who's led a colorless life suddenly finds herself in Technicolor Paris, and the delectable result is predictable in the best way. Narrator Kiiri Sandy gives dimension to Reichl's charming, if paper-doll-like, characters. Our heroine Stella's luxury-loving self-centered mother dies, leaving Stella a ticket to Paris and enough money for a long stay. Repressed and... Read More

With understated compassion, Xavier Casals narrates Takacs's debut work about an oyster-farming family on the brink of collapse. Just after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, 34-year-old Jordan finds he needs the help of his estranged younger brother, Benny, to weather a financial crisis and their mother May's precarious situation. Casals infuses his voice with the... Read More

Sophie Amoss and Joe Knezevich deliver this novel revolving around the Babineaux family of Grand Isle, Louisiana, as it was impacted by the Deepwater Horizon explosion and Hurricane Alex in 2010. Amoss lets us hear Josie's excitement when a magazine plans to spotlight her family's restaurant to kick off tourist season and her frustration when her children blame her for the... Read More

Natalie Naudus narrates this novel about lesbian artists in the L.A. art scene. Moderately successful writer Astrid Dahl has a few more mistakes to make before letting go of her toxic girlfriends and her Patricia Highsmith diet, which consists of Adderall, alcohol, and cigarettes. Ivy, a grad student who is researching 1950s lesbian pulp fiction, is the perfect sexy... Read More

Gospodinov's award-winning novel is given an energetic and spirited narration by Toby Stephens. This work is the memoir of Georgi, a Bulgarian who finds solace in the Greek legend of the Minotaur. The course of his life goes in various directions, much like a labyrinth. Georgi communicates his feelings of abandonment in vignettes from his boyhood in 1970s Bulgaria. Stephens is... Read More

Lyle Blaker evokes midtwentieth century Appalachia in this short story collection by national treasure Wendell Berry. Each story revolves around a resident of the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. In one, a young man falls in love right before he's sent off to die in a war overseas. In another, we follow a man and his beloved hunting dog through the years of the dog's... Read More

Yinka Ladeinde elevates a delightful story to new heights with impeccable comic timing and her ability to convey a wide range of characters. She brings the many members of a Nigerian Canadian family to life with infectious energy and charm. Joy is preparing for her mother Mama Mary's 70th birthday, when the matriarch unexpectedly dies before the celebration. When Joy's Aunt... Read More

A coming-of-age story turned brutal murder mystery morphs into a queer love story of legal injustice. Hope Newhouse's gripping narration builds the mystery and listeners' emotions equally, balancing the complex themes with dark humor. Thirteen-year-old Lacey Bond is living in rural New Hampshire during the '90s Satanic Panic, a time of mass hysteria attributable to children... Read More

A trio of talented narrators immerses listeners in the thorny multigenerational story of a Chinese American family. The audiobook opens in 1999 as 22-year-old Lily, voiced with matter-of-fact directness by Louisa Zhu, meets charismatic, impossibly wealthy Matthew. Despite Lily's initial reservations, largely fueled by Matthew's intimidating family, the two marry and have a son.... Read More

Erin Moon performs this debut novel set in the 1990s among the California redwoods. The Red Grove provides a safe haven for women seeking refuge from patriarchal violence. Luce lives in the Red Grove with her mother, Gloria, and her little brother, Roo. When Gloria disappears, Luce is determined to find her and accidentally uncovers the Red Grove's secret history. Moon's... Read More

With its engaging narration, this contemporary twist on Jane Austen's SENSE & SENSIBILITY is a must-listen. After a series of obstacles, sisters Amelia and Eleanor Bae-Wood--who are half-Korean--find themselves staying on the grounds of the Arcadia Cancer Center with their widowed hippie mother, Tabitha. Each woman's past--combined with family secrets and layers of drama--has... Read More

Gin Hammond performs this fascinating novel, based on a real person, the African American author's great-aunt, Carolyn "Bebe" Hammond. Bebe grew up in Texas with her father, a physician who wanted her to join his practice. Hammond captures Bebe's enthusiasm, imagination, and love of books. Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as World War II and Jim Crow, add historical... Read More

Megan Tusing breathes life into this story of three college friends: Adam, Polly, and Hope. They are gathering in June 2021 for their 25th reunion, which was postponed the year before because of Covid. Now they're trying to reconcile who they were then with who they've become in this post-pandemic world. Once close, they have drifted apart and kept secrets until a crisis... Read More

Junior Nyong'o's low-key narration is exactly what this mystical story demands. In the 1960s, during the brutal Biafran-Nigerian civil war, Kunle, tormented by guilt over an accident that nearly killed his brother years ago, learns that his brother is now in Biafra. Kunle volunteers with the Red Cross since only they can cross the Nigerian blockade into Biafra. There he is... Read More

Narrator Stacy Gonzalez brings to life the docks, bars, and streets of 1800s Tacoma in Washington Territory in this queer historical romp. Alma Rosales has set up a good life for herself as opium smuggler Jack Camp. But when two men are found dead in a bar her crew frequents and several newcomers--known and unknown--come to town, Alma's situation is threatened. Gonzalez's deep... Read More

Escape with narrator Chris Henry Coffey to the small town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in this heartfelt contemporary romance. Jack Schmidt's beachfront restaurant has been run by his family for three generations. After his father's death, Jack took over, making the restaurant his entire life. But isn't there more to life than work? Now a popular restaurant group has come into... Read More

This delightful summer beach story narrated beautifully by Nan McNamara has amusing rom-com-style humor yet also delivers a sensitive treatment of a delicate subject. During their annual week in a Cape Cod rental, Rocky and her husband are joined by their adult children. McNamara doesn't provide extensive vocal characterizations, but she charmingly portrays Rocky's negotiation... Read More

Kira Fixx narrates this intimate queer coming-of-age novel with the perfect mix of wistfulness and straightforward brashness. Sixteen-year-old Shae falls in love with Cam, who radiates passion and determination. Within a year, Shae is pregnant, and Cam has decided to transition from male to female. Soon Cam is starting a new life away at college, while Shae sinks into opioid... Read More

Mei Mei Macleod narrates a family drama told in reverse, starting in 2040 and ending in 2014. Leo Yang; his Japanese French wife, Eko; and their three daughters, Yumi, Yoko, and Kiko, navigate the complexities of life in Shanghai and elsewhere. As the story moves backward, characters become younger, a development that allows Macleod to subtly change her portrayals of the three... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld captures a specific kind of magical realism in her performance, which is perfect for this audiobook. It's the 1800s, and Aubrey is on the move. A sickness manifests within her, triggered by a mysterious puzzle ball. To stay alive, she must keep moving, literally traveling the globe. Throughout her journey she encounters mysterious doors, opening to an... Read More

This spunky audiobook is a continuation of the Sideways series of novels about an obstinate California Pinot Noir snob and his ongoing struggles with wine, women, and the meaning of life. Now the owner of a small vineyard in New Zealand, Miles has completed another novel and faces a low-budget book tour. With a vigorous tone, Scott Brick portrays Miles's generally teed-off... Read More

Golden Voice Cassandra Campbell narrates this emotional story about justice. Eight-year-old Ruth fought with and abandoned her friend Ceely in the woods; then Ceely was murdered. The trauma and guilt caused Ruth to develop unending adult issues: alcoholism, failed marriages, and fractured relationships. When the unnamed murderer comes back to town years later, Ruth seeks to... Read More

Christine Rendel thoughtfully introduces this gentle story. Listeners meet 83-year-old Helen Cartwright, a widow who is returning to England after many years in Australia, and the tragic death of her son. Helen, who is just waiting for the end, exists on radio, TV, tea, and toast. She avoids human contact. Rendel's friendly style enhances the backstory of Cartwright's life as a... Read More

Renée Watson turns her sharp introspection and heart to the story of Lena, a 40-year-old Black woman who is on the threshold of a dream wedding and a successful career. Narrator Zenzi Williams provides a steady, assured internal voice for Lena. Lena's aspirations for body acceptance are at war with her struggle to be herself; this conflict is manifested in devastating episodes... Read More

Mara Wilson gives a charming, thoughtful performance of this contemporary novel. The summer after her college graduation, Isabel is house-sitting and wondering what to do with her life. When she discovers a family of skunks living in the bushes, a tiny world opens up before her. Switching back and forth between Isabel's and the skunks' points of view, this novel delightfully... Read More

Alex Hyde-White's weathered voice perfectly embodies this tragic story of long-held secrets. Years after her brother's mysterious death, Amanda seeks answers. She travels to a small Oregon town, home to a boys' institution where her brother was placed after being removed from her childhood home. There she seeks the help of a police officer who is familiar with the case. The... Read More

Richard and Evelyn are honeymooning on a gorgeous Greek island as a hurricane approaches. Kit Griffiths portrays Evelyn as creative, moody, and a survivor, traits that will help her face the ordeals ahead. Raphael Corkhill depicts Richard's weaknesses as they contribute to the unraveling of his marriage. Griffiths and Corkhill effectively deliver the disturbing backstories of... Read More

This novel, short-listed for the Woman's Book Prize, details a young mother's fatigue, frustrations, and joys at raising a trying infant who becomes a willful toddler. Simone Collins's narration benefits from her intimate and persuasive tone, as well as the lovely lilt of her Irish accent. Her performance resonates as her tone, pace, and intonation reveal the struggling mom's... Read More

This riveting audiobook delves into the lives of three generations of luchadores, masked Mexican wrestlers, who are grappling with love and family secrets in Mexico City and Los Angeles. Narrators Gisela Chípe, Tony Chiroldes, Lee Osorio, and André Santana bring depth and authenticity to their characters. Chípe's portrayal of Elena resonates with strength and resilience,... Read More

Robert Ian Mackenzie's performance makes you feel right at home as you share the day-to-day joys and crises of old friends at 44 Scotland Street. The 17th in the series finds Angus wrapped up with a whistleblower, Matthew trying to establish a Pictish Experience Center, Big Lou's husband making an unapproved lifestyle shift, and 7-year-olds Bertie, Olive, and Ranald dealing... Read More

Tavia Gilbert portrays the alternating points of view of sisters Eddie and Barrett Grant, whose stories revolve around the dreams and heartbreaks of a Nantucket family. At Barrett's request, Eddie takes a leave from her glamorous New York life as personal assistant to renowned romance novelist Dinah Lavender to help Barrett open her new gift shop and take care of their father.... Read More

In Elin Hilderbrand's final Nantucket novel, narrated by Erin Bennett, with a special appearance by Hilderbrand herself, Chief of Police Ed Kapenash's retirement plans are disrupted by a fire that destroys a brand-new $22-million home. At the time of the blaze, the owners, a new couple in town, are hosting a yacht party, from which their assistant, Coco, goes missing. Chief Ed... Read More

Deja Bowens's deft performance mines the humor and pathos of Pumkin Patterson, a determined 13-year-old who is navigating life in Kingston, Jamaica. Bowens's expressive voice brings depth to the characters--from Pumkin herself to her volatile mother, Paulette, and her ambitious Aunt Sophie. When Sophie offers Pumkin the opportunity to escape her parents' tumultuous relationship... Read More

Jane Oppenheimer's resolute cadence and crisp tone create the perfect palette for debut author Hillary Yablon's heartwarming and funny later-in-life makeover story. Coming home to her Florida condo, 63-year old Sylvia finds her husband engaged in passionate gymnastics with the neighborhood floozy. This incident prompts her to leave the tiresome man--who, by the way, has lost... Read More

Frankie Corzo beautifully narrates most of this audiobook as she portrays 30-year-old Monica Campo, whose world implodes when she finds herself pregnant from a rebound relationship. Corzo aptly infuses her performance with angst. Portraying Monica's mother, Mirta, Yareli Arizmendi captures a woman in ill health whose long-held secret upends her family, especially Monica.... Read More

Narrator Arthur Grey is a solid choice for this audiobook about an unraveling marriage. Will quits his medical practice and decides to return to his hometown--both without consulting his wife, Laura. Tensions ensue. Grey brings across the irritations between husband and wife in a dramatic fashion. These all increase when Will is involved in a tragic accident that seriously... Read More

This deeply moving family drama weaves together the lives of several generations of a Chinese family, beginning at the time of the Cultural Revolution. Katharine Chin's emotional range is particularly impressive as she seamlessly transitions among different time periods and perspectives, anchoring listeners to each moment in the story. From Yunhong, one of the star-crossed... Read More

Narrator Quinton Morton insightfully portrays Daniel Zimmer, who grew up with an overbearing father in 1970s New York City. He found alcohol as a teen and has been struggling with it ever since. Morton's engaging characterizations will bring tears to listeners' eyes as they hear about Daniel's disintegration through addiction. It's a devastating story with much tragedy,... Read More

Cassandra Campbell's narration of the compelling places and people in this novel will engage listeners. With inspiration taken from her own family history, Messud's captivating audiobook spans seven decades, beginning in the 1940s, and traces several members of the Cassar family. Opening with the German invasion of France, this epic story is both a geographic journey and a... Read More

David Lee Huynh, Nicky Endres, Zoleka Vundla, and Katherine Littrell skillfully portray eight different characters in this speculative novel set in the near and extreme futures. Yonghun, a researcher who teaches poetry to an AI, is cured of cancer after nanotherapy replaces his human cells with android cells. All who receive the miraculous cure become immortal, changing the... Read More

June Angela performs this audiobook featuring an unnamed narrator who is caring for her mother in California. When the Covid pandemic hits, our protagonist finds herself stuck in the U.S.--far away from her family in Hong Kong. She meets a man known as "The Tree Doctor," who says he may be able to fix her mother's ailing trees. Soon our protagonist finds herself entangled in an... Read More

Myriam J.A.Chancy's complex story looks at the fallout from colonialism, family secrets, class, and racism on the split island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Golden Voice Robin Miles does a good job of putting listeners on the island as schoolgirls Gertie and Sisi become best friends in 1940s Port-au-Prince in spite of their very different class and family standings.... Read More

In this darkly comic novel, Kristen Sieh and Justis Bolding work together to capture the love between two sisters, as well as one sister's deep feelings of profound loss when the other dies. Sleh brings raw and authentic emotional depth to Kit's struggles with denial and grief at the death of her sister, Julie. Bolding complements these with a vibrant portrayal of Julie in... Read More

Helen Laser gives a nuanced performance of this audiobook about an unlikely friendship between two women. On the cusp of 40, Phoebe is divorced, infertile, stalled in her academic career, and her beloved cat has died. She goes to an exclusive Newport, Rhode Island, resort, where she is the only guest who is not there for a wedding. In the elevator, she meets Lila, the bride,... Read More

Gwyneth Keyworth's nuanced portrayal of Manod reveals the 18-year-old's transformative journey in this haunting story, set in 1938. Keyworth smoothly transports listeners to an isolated Welsh island and evokes the poignant interactions between Manod, a local, and the English couple, both ethnologists, who arrive to study the villagers' traditional ways. Dyfrig Morris, Gabrielle... Read More

Anne Marie Arvdal-Richardson does a first-rate job of narrating this intense portrait of a woman who is in love and in denial. Ester, a poet, is an efficient woman who prides herself on her intellect and intuitiveness. The listener has a front-row seat as Arvdal-Richardson depicts the disintegration of Ester's mind as she experiences her sudden and overwhelming love for Hugo,... Read More

A star-studded cast masterfully performs Napolitano's debut novel. Her recent success with HELLO BEAUTIFUL has brought this long out-of-print title back. And this stellar audiobook demonstrates its worth. It's hard to limit praise to just a few of the half-dozen sparkling narrations. But Brittany Pressley as Gracie, the lost-soul writer who works as a kind of "Dear Abby," gives... Read More

Rachel Nishizawa narrates these feminist stories with a blend of poise, bafflement, anger, and wry humor. Though they include a variety of settings ranging from small towns to spaceships, the stories all tackle a similar theme: women trying to survive men. Nishizawa does a great job altering her voice just enough to give each woman a different feel. In a story narrated by a sex... Read More

This extraordinary anthology of stories, brought to life by the Ukraine Audiobook Relief Project, features a diverse and talented group of narrators who illuminate the rich tapestry of Ukrainian storytelling. The stories cover an array of experiences, ranging from tales of immigrant grandparents to traditional Cossack folktales. The diversity of the full cast mirrors the rich... Read More

André Santana narrates this Brazilian import translated from Portuguese. The narrative switches from the present day, when elderly Raimundo is learning to read, to his past, when as a young, gay man he experienced homophobic violence from his father. As the story unfolds, the cycle of queer trauma in Raimundo's family is made clear. Unfortunately, Raimundo's trauma and... Read More

Sam Rushton gives a splendid performance of this well-written story about the life of a Jewish Red Army soldier, Yefim Shulman, who is from Ukraine. The novel is based on the author's family's experiences during WWII. Yefin is captured by the Germans early in the war, survives captivity, and eventually rejoins the Red Army and fights in Berlin at the end of the war. Having been... Read More

Narrator Mara Wilson delivers this satirical zombie-apocalypse audiobook with careful pacing, intensifying the horrors and keeping listeners on edge. Wendy is recovering from a bad breakup at a Pride party. Seeing her ex-girlfriend hook up with her friends is difficult, but then the party attendees become suddenly violent, and soon the violence spreads. Wilson distinctly voices... Read More