Turbulence

A Novel

By: David Szalay

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

From the Booker Prize-winning author of Flesh, a “masterful” (The Washington Post), “cathartic” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), novel about twelve people, mostly strangers, and the surprising ripple effect each one has on the life of the next as they cross paths while in transit around the world

In this “compelling” (The Christian Science Monitor), “crisp and clever” (Vanity Fair) novel, Szalay’s diverse protagonists circumnavigate the planet in twelve flights, from London to Madrid, from Dakar to Sao Paulo, to Toronto, to Delhi, to Doha, en route to see lovers or estranged siblings, aging parents, baby grandchildren, or nobody at all. Along the way, they experience the full range of human emotions from loneliness to love and, knowingly or otherwise, change each other in one brief, electrifying interaction after the next.

Written with magic and economy, “Szalay explores the miraculous ability of our shared humanity to lift us from loneliness” (Esquire) and delivers a dazzling portrait of the interconnectedness of the modern world.

Critic reviews

"If an audiobook clocks more miles per hour than David Szalay’s Turbulence, a novel whose brief running time belies its broad ambitions, I can’t think of what it might be. . . . [Narrator Gabra Zackman] reads with empathy and dexterity, shifting nationalities and gender countless times, often multiple times on the same page." (James Tate Hill)

"While only a small portion of this audiobook takes place on an airplane, each chapter is named for a 'departing' or 'arriving' airport code. This device--and even the choice of a single narrator for each essentially stand-alone story--reinforces the sense of a world simultaneously linked yet impersonally segmented. The novel is structured around the perspectives of a series of characters, each one of whom somehow touches upon the life of a previous character. Narrator Gabra Zackman performs like a seamless one-woman relay team. She hands off each transition--usually in both nationality and gender--to herself so cleanly that listeners will simultaneously experience both the continuity AND the shifting cadence of the story as it passes from one set of lives to another."

Confused

Confused as to the structure of the book. The Audible version seemed to me to have the chapters in reverse chronology;. I missed it if this was stated explicitly.

However, the prose was at times achingly poetic. I had to listen at 0.75 speed; I listen to most nonfiction at 1.25 speed. The actress's voice was very effective in spite of this.

I ordered two other books by this author before I even finished this one, I was so impressed by his writing. Truly worthy of the Booker Prize which it's nomination brought it to my attention in the first place.

Very well-written, however....

...it was difficult to keep the characters straight - after all, there are 12 of them. At the beginning of each chapter the different destinations are announced, i.e. "LAX - SNA - SAN". Perhaps if I could write them down while listening, I could figure out who is who. The book has a leisurely pace to it, it's nice to listen to while I'm commuting to and from work. The characters are interesting and well-defined.

not my cup of airplane tea

around the world in two hours, at 1.5 speed. never got comfortable with the narrator, whose character voices were just not enjoyable, and the stories are over almost before they start. if you like very small bites of life stuff this is probably great for you. it's well written and moves, without a wasted word... but I like wasted words.