Whidbey

A Novel

By: T Kira Madden

Narrated by: Eunice Wong, Christina Moore, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Rebecca Lowman

“Epic in its scope, intimate in its evocation, Whidbey reads like a thriller, compels like a mystery and regarding the human condition, converses with the classics. This is the book everyone will be talking about.” — Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning author of The Orphan Master’s Son and Fortune Smiles

A portrait of three women connected through one man in the aftermath of his murder—a stunning literary achievement and the explosive and highly anticipated debut novel from beloved award-winning memoirist T Kira Madden. Presented as a multicast recording, this production brings each voice vividly to life, deepening the novel’s exploration of varied perspectives and interconnected lives.

Birdie Chang didn’t know anything about Whidbey Island when she chose it, only that it was about as far away as she could get from her own life. She’s a woman on the run, desperate for an escape from the headlines back home and the look of concern in her girlfriend’s eyes—and from Calvin Boyer, the man who abused her as a child and who’s now resurfaced. On her way, she has an unnerving encounter with a stranger on the ferry who offers her a proposition, a sinister solution and plan for revenge.

But Birdie isn’t the only girl Calvin harmed back then. There’s also Linzie King, a former reality TV star who recently wrote all about it in her bestselling memoir. Though the two women have never met, their stories intertwine. Once Birdie arrives on Whidbey, she finally cracks the book’s spine, only to find too much she recognizes in its pages. Soon after, on the other side of the country, Calvin’s loving mother, Mary-Beth, receives a shocking phone call from the police: her only son has been murdered.

Calvin’s death sets into motion a series of events that sends each woman on a desperate search for answers. A complex whodunit told from alternating points of view, Whidbey is searingly perceptive and astonishingly original. Exploring the long reach of violence and our flawed systems of incarceration and rehabilitation, this is a tense and provocative debut that’s sure to incite crucial questions about the pursuit of justice and who has real power over a story: the one who lives it, or the one who tells it?

Stories of multigenerational abuse.

Multiple narrators tell their stories about sexual abuse and their ways of attempting to deal with memories that persist and distort their lives and relationships. These characters suffer: some lash out, others passively hide and suffer internally. I’m most disturbed by the mother of the main abuser whose love destroyed her own life and could not save her son’s.

Difficult subject well done

Dismal and heartbreaking subject and characters. A tough read. Not for the faint hearted. The author did a great job of describing the pain and agony of the characters.

Disconnected fragments

This book started out to be very interesting. I also liked the style of writing that introduced each character from her own perspective. However, in the epilogue, the connection between fragments of the story was so loose that it was hard to follow. The author use of language was interesting, but the plot and resolution. We’re poorly represented. At the end, I felt like I had just wasted my time.

Good premise but poor execution!

Enjoyed the beginning and middle of the story, but truly felt that the plot quickly went downhill and just spiraled out of control.. hated the racist comments and name-calling. Nothing I expected for podcasters to recommend.

Very disapointing

No character development. A disorganized plot. Slow pacing. Sex scenes, rape scenes that are randomly thrown in. Where was the editor? I kept waiting for this novel to improve and waited until the bitter end. The ending was weirdly abrupt. Pass on this and save yourself a credit.