Audiobook Review: In Some Other World, Maybe

Audiobook Review: In Some Other World, MaybeIn Some Other World, Maybe by Shari Goldhagen
Narrator: Amy McFadden
Published by Dreamscape Media, Macmillan on January 13th 2015
Genres: Coming of Age, Contemporary Women, Family Life, Fiction
Pages: 288
Format: Audiobook
Length: 11 hr. 3 min.
Source: Purchase
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

In December 1992 three groups of teenagers head to the theater to see the movie version of the famed Eons & Empires comic books. For Adam it's a last-ditch effort to connect with the girl he's had a crush on for years. Passionate fan Sharon skips school in Cincinnati so she can fully appreciate the flick without interruption from her vapid almost-friends--a seemingly silly indiscretion with shocking consequences. And in suburban Chicago, Phoebe and Ollie simply want to have a nice first date and maybe fool around in the dark, if everyone they know could just stop getting in the way. Over the next two decades, these unforgettable characters crisscross the globe, becoming entwined by friendship, sex, ambition, fame, and tragedy.

A 1992 comic book movie adaptation links the lives of four teenage strangers. Though they live in different parts of the US, over the next two decades their lives intersect in surprising ways.

I really like books and movies that feature interconnected stories and characters so I’ve been looking forward to reading In Some Other World, Maybe. It’s interesting to follow the lives of this foursome and see how things turn out for them as adults, and also to see the Eons & Empires theme recur in their lives.

In Some Other World, Maybe involves four characters. Adam leaves Florida for Los Angeles to become an actor. Phoebe leaves her boyfriend Ollie behind in Chicago, and meets Adam in while also pursuing an acting career. And Sharon leaves Cincinnati for New York hoping to make it big as a writer. We follow these four through their romantic lives, tragedies, and career highs and lows.

Since the story spans decades there are references to notable events in history and pop culture. The characters travel a lot in their various pursuits and I enjoyed the nods to LA, NY and Chicago and familiar landmarks.

The plot moves at a swift pace and it didn’t take long at all to get lost in the story, even if I sometimes lost track of which character was speaking. I grew most attached to Adam and Phoebe’s story, though each character has some interesting defining moments. Shari Goldhagen fleshes out each character and weaves a bittersweet and memorable story about ambition, fate, family and love.

I listened to the audiobook, performed by Amy McFadden. McFadden’s tone is pleasant to listen to, though I think the audio translation would have been more successful as a full-cast audiobook. The transitions between chapters/characters were not clearly defined in audio format so it was not always easy to figure out who was speaking. There were also some mispronunciations that took me out of the story. That being said- I still got through this audiobook very quickly because I was so hooked on the story. Considering the complexities of the plot though, I think most readers will want to pick up the print edition instead.

This book should appeal to a crossover audience – if you enjoyed Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings or Rainbow Rowell’s Landline keep this one in mind. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more books from this author.

Ornament

3 thoughts on “Audiobook Review: In Some Other World, Maybe

  1. I like books like that too, especially when they include pop references.

    bermudaonion (Kathy) recently posted: Review: The Girl Who Came Home
  2. […] In Some Other World, Maybe by Shari Goldhagen, narrated by Amy McFadden review via The Reading Date […]

  3. Estelle says:

    I don’t have the audio for this one but I do have a finished copy of the book. I needed a little bit of a push to start it for some reason. Glad you posted this & your love for audiobooks still amazes me! Seriously. Bravo!

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