YOU CAN'T STAY HERE FOREVER

Narrator Eunice Wong's consistent pace and vocal variety are perfect for this audiobook, which dissects feminism, race, and wealth in an organic way. Ellie is devastated when her husband, Ian, dies suddenly. At 29, Ellie thought she had decades more with him. At the funeral she discovers that Ian had a mistress, and, enraged by this, she uses Ian's life insurance to book a lavish French vacation for herself and her best friend, Mable. The friends meet a couple there, and through their interactions, Ellie reassesses her views on life. Wong's nuanced performance includes a flat voice when a joke doesn't land, an intern's timid tone, tearfully warbling speech, and petulant, slurred claims from a drunk woman. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2023]