This is Audiobook Fanatic’s second listen to Alex Michaelides, author of the immensely popular bestseller The Silent Patient.
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex-movie star who has just discovered her husband has been having a scandalous affair. Elliot Chase, a man with a troubled past and Lana’s best friend, narrates the story with an untrustworthy dramatic narrative. Every year, Lana invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island. But this year, Lana and Eliot have crafted a plan to expose Jason’s extramarital affair and get revenge. Along for the trip are Kate, Lana’s longtime friend, and Leo, Lana’s son. The getaway ultimately ends in a night of violence and murder, dramatically unfolding like the acts of a play.
The story doesn’t follow any conventional format. Firstly, Eliot tells the entire story from his own perspective, and he warns listeners that not everything he recounts can be entirely taken as fact or unbiased. The story is separated into five acts, with each act unravelling further twists and revelations that help listeners comprehend the story’s unforgettable conclusion.
Narrator Alex Jennings, who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, delivers a top-notch gripping performance as storyteller Eliot, effectively keeping listeners in a constant flux of intrigue, distrust, and astonishment as they listen to Eliot’s recounted story. Since the narrator does such an impeccable job, it is likely the case here that the audiobook is the superior method to devour this original story. If you’re a fan of Michaelides’ previous novels or looking for an extremely original, suspenseful, unconventional thriller, then this one is for you!
