Literary Fiction Audiobooks | Literature

"Newly widowed and unemployed, a woman in her mid-fifties sets off on a journey of trespassing and adventure through the American West and beyond in Three Keys, a witty, thought-provoking novel from the PEN USA Award-winning writer. "Filled with award-winner Pritchett's electric prose and love of the natural world, Three Keys is irresistible."-Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Days of Wonder1 Becoming invisible is painful . . . unless you know how to work it. Ammalie Brinks has just lost the three keys of her life's purpose-her husband, her job, and her role as a mom, after her son went off to college. She's also mystified to find herself in middle age: How exactly had that happened? The terrifying idea of becoming irrelevant, invisible, of letting her life slip away Into obscurity, has her driving distracted through Nebraska with a broken plastic fork in her tangled hair. But what Ammalie has found are three literal keys, saved in a drawer for years, from her and her husband's past. They are the keys to homes that she hopes will be empty-and plans on spending time in. Embarking on an international and increasingly complicated journey (criminal behavior turns out to be challenging!), she seeks to find a life truly her own. And that middle-age business? As someone breaking the law, Ammalie finds there's a real benefit to being invisible when you're working on becoming the striking, bold, and very much manifested self you want to be. Laura Pritchett, winner of the PEN USA Award for Fiction and the Colorado Book Award, offers a delightful exploration of the very serious business of living a full and honest life. Filled with love, heartbreak, and misdemeanors, Three Keys tackles the unavoidable sorrows and joys experienced during a second coming of age with the zest and vigor that it deserves."

Laura Pritchett (Author), Rebecca Lowman (Narrator)

Audiobook

We Burn Daylight: A Novel

"NATIONAL BESTSELLER • An epic novel of star-crossed lovers set in a doomsday cult on the Texas prairie that asks: What would you sacrifice for the person you love? "Symphonic and suspenseful . . . In an epic act of empathy, Bret Anthony Johnston inhabits every point of view, from doomed devotees to perplexed law enforcement."-Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Waco, Texas, 1993. People from all walks of life have arrived to follow the Lamb's gospel-signing over savings and pensions, selling their homes and shedding marriages. They've come here to worship at the feet of a former landscaper turned prophet who is preparing for the End Times with a staggering cache of weapons. Jaye's mother is one of his newest and most devout followers, though Jaye herself has suspicions about the Lamb's methods-and his motives. Roy is the youngest son of the local sheriff, a fourteen-year-old boy with a heart of gold and a nose for trouble who falls for Jaye without knowing of her mother's attachment to the man who is currently making his father's life hell. The two teenagers are drawn to each other immediately and completely, but their love may have dire consequences for their families. The Lamb has plans for them all-especially Jaye-and as his preaching and scheming move them closer and closer to unthinkable violence, Roy risks everything to save Jaye. Based on the true events that unfolded thirty years ago during the siege of the Branch Davidian compound, Bret Anthony Johnston's We Burn Daylight is an unforgettable love story, a heart-pounding literary page turner, and a profound exploration of faith, family, and what it means to truly be saved."

Bret Anthony Johnston (Author), Christian Baskous, Xe Sands (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien: A Novel

"With "soaring, matchless prose," a Pulitzer Prize winner pens a New York Times bestselling saga of the Montez O'Briens, a rambunctious family of Irish Cuban immigrants comprised of fourteen daughters-and one doggedly masculine son (Publishers Weekly). Irish American Nelson O'Brien fell passionately in love with the poetess Mariela Montez while photographing the ravages of battle in Mariela's native Cuba during the Spanish-American War. After marrying, they moved to the United States to start a new life, settling in a small Pennsylvania town where Nelson took over the Jewel Box Movie Theater. Together, they had a remarkable fifteen children: fourteen daughters and one lone son. In Oscar Hijuelos's The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien, the lives, loves, and tragedies of this sprawling Irish Cuban family unfold. Over the course of a century, each member moves in and out of each other's lives, traversing Cuba, New York, California, Alaska, and Ireland, while Margarita-the Montez O'Brien's eldest daughter-ruminates on the nature of femininity, sex, love, and earthly happiness. And as Margarita learns and grows in an overwhelmingly female environment, she can't help but contrast her experiences with those of Emilio, her intensely masculine brother, whose B-movie career in the 1950s has left him adrift and frustrated, with little hope of success. Lush and gorgeously written, The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien is a masterwork by one of America's greatest writers. Reckoning with cultural assimilation and complex family dynamics, the novel elicits tears and laughter while tenderly revealing the bounteous heart and exhilarating adventures of a warm, passionate family. Includes a Reading Group Guide."

Oscar Hijuelos (Author), Gary Tiedemann (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Disappeared

"Inspired by the real mothers and grandmothers who spoke out against Argentina’s military dictatorship, The Disappeared is an award-winning debut about identity, family secrets, and those who endured decades of hardship to expose the truth. In 1976 Buenos Aires, Lorena Ledesma is a housewife with dangerous secrets living under Argentina’s rising military dictatorship. When she and her husband are torn from their home by the paramilitary in the middle of the night, their two-year-old son is left behind with Lorena’s mother, Esme. There’s never any record of the arrest. Desperate to locate Lorena, Esme joins an underground group of mothers who are investigating the disappearances of their own missing children. But when they make a devastating discovery—that several of their kidnapped daughters have given birth in prison—a new kind of pursuit begins: the search for their stolen grandchildren. Nearly three decades later, thousands of miles away, American adoptee Rachel Sprague learns she has a biological brother from another country—somewhere she has never visited. But the truth goes far deeper than the results of a DNA test, and revealing her origins will expose painful family secrets that could put Rachel’s loved ones in jeopardy. A heart-wrenching drama that spans thirty years, The Disappeared is inspired by the true stories of the mothers and grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an extraordinary group of women who, for more than forty-five years, have been searching for children of the “disappeared”—those captured as dissidents during Argentina’s Dirty War."

Rebecca J. Sanford (Author), Carolina Hoyos (Narrator)

Audiobook

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop: The cosy sequel to DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP, the perfect gi

"THE EMOTIONAL AND LIFE-AFFIRMING NEW NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP, TRANSLATED FROM JAPANESE BY ERIC OZAWA In Tokyo, there is a neighbourhood with the highest number of bookstores in the world. It is called Jinbocho where book lovers can browse to their heart's delight and where hunters of first editions or autographed copies prowl the bookcases. The Morisaki bookshop, a small family-run shop, is so packed with books that barely five people can fit inside. Books crowd the shelves and invade every corner of the floor; when a customer arrives, the owner, Satoru, immediately pops out from behind the counter. Recently, his wife Momoko has joined him, and often, in her free time after work, their niece Takako also helps out. For the first time, the girl does not feel lonely; she has new friends and new rituals to keep her company: the annual Jinbocho festival, the café around the corner, or an unexpected visitor. Because, as she has discovered, a bookstore is populated not by the characters contained in the books, but also by those who frequent it. And those stories create bonds. As a sign of gratitude, Takako gives her aunt and uncle a trip, promising to look after the shop while they are away. Everything seems to be going swimmingly, but then why is Satoru behaving so strangely? And what does that woman with the red umbrella want who has appeared at the end of the street? How many other stories, emotions, and treasures does the Morisaki bookshop hold? Loved by thousands of readers worldwide, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a story of hope, friendship and the healing power of books. Will we see you in the bookshop this summer? PRAISE FOR DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP: 'Brims with genuine charm . . . evokes powerful feelings that any book lover will recognize' Japan Times 'Ozawa's translation gracefully captures the author's whimsical and tender voice. Yagisawa has the right touch for lifting a reader's mood' Publishers Weekly 'Readers will want to linger in this world' Booklist 'A familiar romance about books and bookstores, told with heart and humor' Kirkus 'A slender book, but one rich in experience, exactly like the tiny, crammed Morisaki bookshop itself' New York Journal of Books"

Satoshi Yagisawa (Author), Susan Momoko Hingley (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Weight of Ink

"WINNER OF A NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD A USA TODAY BESTSELLER "A gifted writer, astonishingly adept at nuance, narration, and the politics of passion."-Toni Morrison Set in London of the 1660s and of the early twenty-first century, The Weight of Ink is the interwoven tale of two women of remarkable intellect: Ester Velasquez, an emigrant from Amsterdam who is permitted to scribe for a blind rabbi, just before the plague hits the city; and Helen Watt, an ailing historian with a love of Jewish history. When Helen is summoned by a former student to view a cache of newly discovered seventeenth-century Jewish documents, she enlists the help of Aaron Levy, an American graduate student as impatient as he is charming, and embarks on one last project: to determine the identity of the documents' scribe, the elusive "Aleph." Electrifying and ambitious, The Weight of Ink is about women separated by centuries-and the choices and sacrifices they must make in order to reconcile the life of the heart and mind. "

Rachel Kadish (Author), Hannah Curtis, Josh Bloomberg (Narrator)

Audiobook

True Love

"Brought to you by Penguin. What does it mean to love and be loved? It is the 1980s and Finn and Keely are growing up in the North East of England. Keely is a fighter. Even in the face of loss she strives to seek connection, but finds that she’s not always searching in the right places. Finn is quiet, sensitive, distant. He spends much of his time alone, yet deep down he wants to discover the thrill of relating to others. When the two finally meet, everything is changed. Love – with all of its attendant joys and costs – is thrust upon them, and each must decide if they will bend or break under its pressure. True Love is a story of the trials of youth, the bonds of family and friendship, and of how much we are willing to risk to have ourselves be seen. ‘Empathetic, honest, compelling. I’ll read anything Paddy Crewe writes.’ Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry ‘True Love had me from its gorgeous, lyrical opening to its transcendent final pages. Paddy Crewe is an exceptionally gifted writer.’ Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses © Paddy Crewe 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024"

Paddy Crewe (Author), Alex Tahnee (Narrator)

Audiobook

Atonement

"Brought to you by Penguin. This new audio edition of Ian McEwan’s beloved modern classic is narrated by Olivier Award winner and Emmy nominee Harriet Walter, who starred as Emily Tallis in the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of Atonement. Her recent credits range from The Crown to Succession and Ted Lasso. On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her sister Cecilia plunge naked into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching her too is Robbie Turner who, like Cecilia, has recently come down from Cambridge. By the end of that day, the lives of all three will have been changed for ever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not even imagined at its start. Briony will have witnessed mysteries, and committed a crime for which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone. 'This new recording of Atonement is exquisitely read by the Succession actor Harriet Walter […] McEwan pulls off a bold narrative trick that causes the listener to question the foundations of his storytelling and the nature of fiction' The Guardian 'The best thing he has ever written' Observer ‘Atonement is a masterpiece’ The Times **ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY** © 2001 Ian McEwan (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

Ian McEwan (Author), Harriet Walter (Narrator)

Audiobook

Things Go Flying

"The brilliant and darkly hilarious debut novel about how the past can come back to haunt you (literally) by the New York Times bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying, Shari Lapena. Harold Walker, desperately average, is in the throes of a mid-life depression. His wife Audrey clings to an illusory sense of control-over their home, their teenaged sons, Dylan and John, and her own explosive secret. The death of a long-estranged friend triggers a series of perturbing events that catapults Harold out of his La-Z-Boy and throws the household into chaos. Things go flying when the dead begin communicating with Harold, leaving Audrey's secret vulnerable to exposure, and Harold more confused than ever. What these familiar voices from the afterlife ultimately reveal is just how little the living know about living."

Shari Lapena (Author), Robin Wilcock (Narrator)

Audiobook

Beyond the Glass

"Clara Batchelor is twenty-two. Her brief, doomed marriage to Archie over, she returns to live with her parents in the home of her childhood. She hopes for comfort but the devoutly Catholic household confines her and forms a dangerous glass wall of guilt and repression between Clara and the outside world. Clara both longs for and fears what lies beyond, and when she escapes into an exhilarating and passionate love affair her fragile identity cracks. Beyond the Glass completes the trilogy sequel to Frost in May, which began with The Lost Traveller and The Sugar House. Although each is a complete novel in itself, together they form a brilliant portrait of a young girl's journey to adulthood."

Antonia White (Author), Kim Bretton (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Savage Detectives

"Brought to you by Penguin. New Year’s Eve, 1975. Two hunted men leave Mexico City in a borrowed white Impala. Their quest: to track down the mythical, vanished poet Cesárea Tinajero. But, twenty years later, they are still on the run. The Savage Detectives is their remarkable journey through our darkening universe. Told, shared and mythologised by a generation of lovers, rebels and readers, their testimonies are woven together into one of the most dazzling Latin American novels of all time. TRANSLATED BY NATASHA WIMMER ‘Roberto Bolaño was a game changer: his field was politics, poetry and melancholia. He could be funny, he could be literate, he could be devastating. And his writing was always unparalleled’ Mariana Enríquez ‘Bolaño makes you feel changed for having read him; he adjusts your angle of view on the world’ Guardian © Roberto Bolaño 1998 (P) Penguin Audio 2024"

Roberto Bolaño (Author), Armando Duran, Eddie Lopez (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bycatch

"A fisherman's murder in Mississippi unwinds the dark truth from Vietnam and exposes unfathomable guilt. Rex Thompson has not spoken of the felony he committed in Vietnam for over two decades. When his ne'er-do-well sons scuttle a shrimp boat in the Biloxi Bay and drown an immigrant fisherman who had witnessed this crime, Rex is flooded with remorse but remains silent. His secrets seem to wash away in the muddy tide until the fisherman's daughter, Anh Truong, stumbles upon a wartime journal and confronts Rex with a tale her murdered father never told. As a dragnet encircles his sons, Rex's life of poor choices unravels, and he must decide to continue his charade or seek mercy from those he harmed. Bycatch is a story soaked with greed and forgiveness while Southern and Vietnamese cultures tangle on the Mississippi Gulf Coast."

Alexander Blevens (Author), Jim Seybert (Narrator)

Audiobook

Literary Fiction Audiobooks in Literature