Behind the Audiobook: Authors and Narrators Tell All
From Andie MacDowell and Annabelle Gurwitch to John Kenney and Sean Patrick Hopkins
Acclaimed Authors and Narrators Dish
In the audiobook recording of The End of My Life is Killing Me, author Annabelle Gurwitch wanted to “take liberties and made things a bit more colloquial.” A through-line in the memoir is the significance of female friendships. Gurwitch says she “couldn’t have survived the past few years without the walks and french fries shared with my friend Andie MacDowell.” It felt meaningful to bring her into the audiobook (MacDowell reads the opening section of the book). Also featured in the audiobook? An excerpt from Gurwitch’s podcast, Tiny Victories, and a recording of Young Jean Lee singing a song from her musical We’re Gonna Die.
Miranda Cowley Heller narrated her poetry collection, What the Deep Water Knows, for the audiobook, noting, “Poetry is meant to be listened to and read aloud. It’s an intimate experience that connects words to emotions in such a visceral way.” The collection takes on new life and strength in this format.
Authors narrating their own memoirs allow listeners to lean into the personal aspects of the story as is the case in End of the Hour by Meghan Riordan Jarvis. She remembers feeling nervous before walking into the recording studio to record her memoir, unsure of what to expect.
“Reading for an imagined audience was really moving and I found myself breaking down a few times,” Riordan Jarvis said. “I was really touched watching the sound techs wipe a few tears themselves. The trauma therapist in me was reminded that telling your story and having it heard and witnessed is important for everyone.”
Julie Chavez, author of Everyone But Myself, said “Recording the audiobook was one of the highlights of the publishing process. It was a privilege to sit in a quiet recording booth and read those words, imagining someone carving out time in their day to listen to them.” Life is busy, as Chavez knows well. “Time is our most precious resource, and I love how audiobooks can help us claw back some of the minutes attending to all the tiny, mundane tasks that fill up a life.”
Sometimes, the narrator just gets the story, and it shines through in their voice, enhancing the reading experience. Nanda Reddy, the author of A Girl Within A Girl Within A Girl, told us that every time she joins a book club discussion, someone always, without fail, leaves a glowing review of Khaya Fraites’ narration of her debut. “I’m so grateful she gave her talent to the novel. She nailed the Guyanese patois and voiced each character differently; a full cast in one body!”
Sean Patrick Hopkins, the narrator of John Kenney’s hilarious and heartfelt novel, I See You’ve Called in Dead, said that he was immediately struck by the story when he started reading. “Connecting so closely to an author’s voice and sense of humor is a rare and special experience, and made every day in the studio recording this book an absolute joy,” Hopkins noted. Perhaps that connection is why the audiobook was outstanding enough to win the esteemed AudioFiles Earphones Award.
Each book Hopkins narrates poses its own distinctive hurdles. “Humor is always a unique challenge, but John’s especially so because it’s rooted in such deep and honest truths that can have you by turns laughing and weeping,” he said. “I found myself trying to exercise more restraint and trust throughout the process to let the text do the work, because (Kenney) gives you everything you need, which is a true gift.”
For Hopkins, I See You’ve Called in Dead was a special project: “I find myself recommending to anyone who asks for a book suggestion. It has such universal appeal in both its humor and humanity.”
Ultimately, whether you choose to listen or read, the best part is the story itself.