Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
Narrated by Meryl Streep. 11hr 22 min
You know when people say they like to curl up with a good book? This is the kind they’re talking about. During lockdown on a cherry farm in Michigan, a woman tells her adult daughters about the time she had a summer fling with a now-famous actor. It addresses a simple and universally ignored truth: despite all evidence to the contrary, your parents did, actually, have a life before you were born. This warm, wise, wonderfully observed story from Ann Patchett is perfectly narrated by Meryl Streep. In fact, she narrates it so well that it’s impossible to think of anyone else in the lead role for the inevitable film adaptation. – Review: An engrossing, utterly convincing meditation on life.
The Details, by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson
Narrated by Julie Maisey. 3hr 55 min
In the throes of a fever, a woman recalls her past, detailing lost loves, lost friends and lost parents. This short book by the Swedish author Ia Genberg at first seems unassuming, but it tricks you. It draws you in. Only after it’s finished do you realise what a marvel it is. Genberg pulls off something magical, something surely all writers strive for: by taking you down the deep path of her memory she opens the door to your own past. In the end you think, Whose life has been examined here?
Emperor of Rome, by Mary Beard
Narrated by the author. 14hr 44 min
Some history books are better suited to audio form than others. Mary Beard’s most recent book works particularly well, because of her thematic rather than strictly chronological approach. This means you can almost pick a chapter at random and by the end feel as if you’ve sat through a lively, entertaining and enlightening lecture. Every minute or so you’re treated to another memorable titbit, like the Syrian teenage emperor Elagabalus using whoopee cushions on his dinner guests, the first recorded instance of such practical jokes in western culture. But really it’s the more prosaic questions posed that prove the most fascinating. How do you actually run an empire? What are the practicalities of transitioning from a republic to one-man rule? And were these emperors as mad, violent and incestuous as we’ve been led to believe?
Palatine: An Alternative History of the Caesars, by Peter Stothard
Narrated by Christopher Scott. 11hr 4 min
Palatine makes for a very intriguing companion piece to Mary Beard’s Emperor of Rome. There’s a good deal of overlap, particularly in the minutiae of Roman rule, from how successions were planned and executed to the day-to-day bureaucracy of running an empire. But here Peter Stothard ingeniously focuses on a single family behind the curtain of power: the influential and lesser-known Vitellii clan. It’s a hugely enjoyable account, filled with political intrigue, murder, conspiracy, villains, gluttons and rogues. If you have even a passing interest in ancient Roman history, and enjoy watching shows such as Succession and Game of Thrones, you are all but guaranteed to love it.
Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar
Narrated by Arian Moayed. 10hr 39 min
Cyrus Shams, an Iranian-American poet, struggles with alcohol, drugs, faith and his family’s past. His mother was killed when the plane she was travelling in was accidentally shot down over Tehran. On Iranian battlefields, his uncle dressed as the Angel of Death to comfort the dying. His father killed chickens on a factory farm in the US Midwest. Through the lens of death, Cyrus tries to make sense of life. If this sounds incredibly grim, Martyr! is anything but. In fact, it’s so riotously entertaining, wise, funny and moving that it’s sure to become your new go-to book when someone comes knocking for recommendations. – Review: An astounding debut novel
The Bullet Swallower, by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Narrated by Lee Osorio. 9hr 59 min
In 1895, after a train robbery gone wrong, Antonio Sonoro’s little brother is killed by Texas Rangers. Brutally disfigured himself in the shoot-out, Antonio sets out on a wild odyssey of revenge. In 1964 Antonio’s grandson is a famous Mexican actor who receives a mysterious book detailing the entire history of his family, all the way back to Cain and Abel. An action-packed, bloody western. A magic-realist fable replete with a cosmic reaper of souls. A family drama contending with intergenerational trauma, colonial violence and the sins of the past. There’s a lot packed into these 10 hours. That it works at all is a marvel. That it works so well is a testament to Elizabeth Gonzalez James’s skill as a storyteller.
Butter, by Asako Yuzuki
Narrated by Hanako Footman. 17hr 12 min
Inspired by the real case of the “konkatsu killer”, Butter is a singular, riveting thriller. When gourmet cook Manako Kaji is convicted of killing a series of lonely businessmen after seducing them with her home cooking, she captures the imagination of the Japanese public. Frustratingly, she refuses to speak to anyone, until a journalist, Rika Machida, writes a letter requesting the recipe of Kaji’s beef stew. So begins a fraught and unsettling relationship that curiously explores food (so many sublime gastronomic descriptions), body image, ambition, misogyny and obsession.
The Wren, The Wren, by Anne Enright
Narrated by Anne Enright, Aoife Duffin, Owen Roe, Liza Ross. 7hr 40 min
Few novelists can write about family relationships with the level of care, wit and wisdom as Anne Enright. Every book, incredibly, seems better than the last. There is, however, one big downside to reading (or listening to) her work: these characters don’t feel like characters at all. They feel like real people. You know these people. You want to scream at them to save them from their own mistakes. Hating a fictional character is a lot of fun, but despising a real person? That’s a lot to take on. And there is one character, in The Wren, the Wren whom you will grow to despise deeply. But, then again, you’ll also grow to love young Nell and her mother, Carmel. So, you know. Such is life. – Review: it may be her best book yet.
James, by Percival Everett
Narrated by Dominic Hoffman. 7hr 49 min
Percival Everett flips the familiar on its head with extraordinary and thrilling results in James, a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of Huck’s enslaved boat mate. Here, Jim becomes James, and the basics of the original plot remain, but through his narration the story takes on a new, thrilling urgency, and we become attached to one of the great fictional characters – intelligent, thoughtful, defensive, cagey, funny and angry. Every minute spent listening to his voice is a delight; incredible wordplay sparks scenes of comic brilliance, which in turn lead to moments of unbearable tension and fury. – Review: humour and humanity in reimagining Huck Finn.
Cahokia Jazz, by Francis Spufford
Narrated by Andy Ingalls. 15hr 36 min
It’s 1922 in the United States. Folks are knockin’ back hooch in speakeasies and dancing to jazz. Hard-nosed detective Joe Barrow investigates a murder, uncovering a political conspiracy that might tear the city apart. So far it sounds like standard noir fare, but in Francis Spufford’s superb alternate history, the city in question is Cahokia, which in reality is now a Unesco heritage site outside St Louis, Missouri. In a remarkable feat of imagination and world-building, Spufford brings to vivid life a reality where the smallpox that all but wiped out the Native American population was less deadly, and these indigenous people thrived alongside the settlers. – Review: gripping, moving story set in an ‘altered America’ of 1922.
Clear, by Carys Davies
Narrated by Russ Bain. 3hr 5 min
In the 1840s, John, a struggling and idealistic minister, is dispatched to a remote Scottish island to evict its sole remaining occupant, a wild man of the land named Ivar. Upon arrival, John suffers a brutal accident and is nursed slowly back to health by Ivar. The two men don’t speak the same language, and seemingly have nothing in common, yet they form an unlikely bond. Though you could easily finish this in a single afternoon, Clear is an audiobook to savour. You’ll find yourself time and again tapping the rewind button to listen more closely to some sparse and beautiful piece of prose. From painterly descriptions of the island’s harsh landscape to gentle and wise insights into human connections, this is one you’ll listen to more than once. – Review: hope amid the barbarity of mass evictions on a Scottish island
Crook Manifesto, by Colson Whitehead
Narrated by Dion Graham. 10hr 47 min
Sometimes when you listen to audiobooks your mind wanders. You’ll be out for a walk with headphones on and start to think about what medieval punishments we might bring back for people who don’t pick up after their dogs. Suddenly you realise you have absolutely no idea what’s happened during the last five minutes of your story. Such lapses in concentration won’t be a problem with Colson Whitehead’s Crook Manifesto. A sequel to Harlem Shuffle it catches up with Ray Carney, a furniture salesman and former fence trying to walk the straight and narrow. It’s an electrifying book filled with some wonderful, sleazy characters, but once again the star of the show is the richly realised city of New York of the 1970s. – Review: damaged city, its hungry men and illegal exploits.
The Sleepwalkers, by Scarlett Thomas
Narrated by Raphael Corkhill and Griffiths. 9hr 6 min
If you’re making a list of audiobooks to listen to on your summer holidays, put The Sleepwalkers somewhere close to the top of the pile. When Evelyn and Richard arrive for their honeymoon on a beautiful Greek Island, it’s clear not all is well. Tensions simmer. Jealousies flare. In this idyllic, perfect setting they learn of “the sleepwalkers”, a couple who stayed at the same hotel a year earlier and died in mysterious circumstances. Everyone on the island seems obsessed with the sleepwalkers. Figuring out what the hell is going on is half the fun in this twisty, addictive thriller. If you enjoyed The White Lotus but felt it could have done with a splash of pure dread, The Sleepwalkers is just the ticket.
You Like It Darker, by Stephen King
Narrated by Will Patton. 20hr 12min
When the dust settles on an extraordinary (and extraordinarily prolific) career, Stephen King will be remembered as a great novelist, but his true legacy should be that of a master short-story writer. The shorter form isn’t just perfectly suited to the bottomless well of his wild imagination; it’s also ideal for listening to in bursts. Although a couple of these macabre stories are novella-length, spanning hours, you can enjoy most in a single sitting. And some are so unsettling, strange and macabre that they’ll stay lodged under your skin for days. Perfect, then, for beachside summertime listening. Standouts include Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, and Rattlesnakes, a sort of sequel to Cujo.
Long Island, by Colm Tóibín
Narrated by Jessie Buckley. 9hr 28min
On the face of it, Long Island is a risky proposition. How do you deliver a sequel to one of the most beloved Irish books of recent years without it feeling cheap? How can you live up to unrealistic expectations? How do you deal with the pressure? The problem mostly lies in the word “sequel”, which brings to mind Hollywood cash-grabs, or milking an idea to death. Fans of Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín’s 2009 novel, will therefore approach his latest with a mix of trepidation and giddy excitement. This is what we all wanted, isn’t it? But do we need it? My God, do we even deserve it? Five minutes into this audiobook (superbly narrated by Jessie Buckley), all doubts are put to bed. You remember what a safe pair of hands you’re in. You will, more than once, pause it to compose yourself. You won’t ever want it to end. Long Island is both an unexpected treat and a complete triumph. – Review: Brooklyn sequel brings Eilis back to Enniscorthy
