Each portion of this slow-burn thriller is tackled by a different narrator who adds their own unique twist to Swanson's layered characters. Saskia Maarleveld delivers librarian Martha Ratliff's chapters, highlighting Martha's curiosity and distress. Kathleen Early narrates Lily Kitner's point of view. Early's performance sounds stiff in contrast to Maarleveld's. Newlywed Martha seeks help from her college classmate, Lily, when she suspects her husband, Alan, of violence. Digging into Alan's travels, they stumble upon an old friend, Ethan Saltz. As Lily discovers the truth about Ethan, with the help of Henry Kimball, it might be too late.
Pub Date: June 11, 2024
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063205062
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Pabon sustains a steady emotional register that underscores the enduring impact of unresolved trauma.
Timothy Andrés Pabon gives a reflective performance of this semiautobiographical novel, which is based on a double death in the author’s rural Spanish hometown during his adolescence. Pabon presents the events of Christmas Eve 1995 with measured clarity, outlining the story of a young man who kills his sister and commits suicide, then guiding the listener into a reopened inquiry years later. Pabon adopts a deliberate, contemplative pace that mirrors the narrator’s methodical reconstruction of the past. His delivery carries the weight of grief, guilt, and persistence as the narrator revisits formative experiences shaped by religion, illness, and isolation.
Pabon sustains a steady emotional register that underscores the enduring impact of unresolved trauma.Pub Date: April 14, 2026
Duration: N/A
DD ISBN: 9781962556156
Publisher: Pushkin Industries
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
Jones' narration is grounding and clear, and listeners have a front-row seat for the developing tensions.
Ami Okumura Jones deftly dramatizes how what starts as a friendship between Eriko and Shoko tips over into obsession. Jones uses small shifts in pacing, tone, and narration style to convey the growing friction between the two women as a distinguishable, audible experience. She communicates the differences between Eriko’s meticulous intensity and Shoko’s more casual, self-deprecating humor. Eriko is attempting to reintroduce Nile perch into the Japanese fish market. Jones’ delivery reflects Eriko’s rigid, professional exterior, which masks a deep sense of isolation. Jones sounds more approachable as Shoko, a popular lifestyle blogger.
Jones' narration is grounding and clear, and listeners have a front-row seat for the developing tensions.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063442443
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
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