Companion Piece

A Novel

By: Ali Smith

Narrated by: Natalie Simpson

A story is never an answer. A story is always a question.

A day spent locked in a room by border officials without any explanation as to why. A riddle that seemingly has no answer: curlew or curfew, you choose. A phone call from a college friend who hasn’t been in touch in years. And all of it is somehow inextricably linked to the life of a young blacksmith hounded from her trade and branded a vagrant nearly 500 years ago.

Award-winning author Ali Smith shines a guiding light through the nightmarish now with a provocative novel that intertwines our atomized present and the uncannily parallel era of the Black Plague. In the hope that our medieval past may unlock the answers we seek to understand our hazy future, Companion Piece is a kaleidoscope of human history and experience, and a stunning addition to Smith’s gorgeous canon.

“A woman receives an unexpected call from a former classmate asking for help deciphering a puzzling interaction, and from there, Smith spins out a broader story about loneliness, refuge and freedom.”—New York Times Book Review

©2022 Ali Smith (P)2022 Recorded Books

Total surprise!

Wow - I couldn’t turn the book off! I am going to see what else this talented author has published. A very interesting read.

Ali Smith’s best

She had me at the definition of “hello”. Loved the language. Contemporary narrator and her feudal counterpart each adapted and inspired.

Captivating word lush

This is a lovely book with the absolutely perfect reader; companions of all sorts on so many levels appear. It’s full of humor, emotion and kindness.

Took a few returns to finish

I chose this as it had such good reviews . Took me a few diff tries to appreciate it, but enjoyable in the end.

You have to read it at least twice

To let it in. To ponder and enjoy. Nonlinear and lovely. Hello hello
Hospital hospitable.