Heft

By: Liz Moore

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne, Keith Szarabajka

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Literary Fiction, 2013

A heartwarming novel about larger-than-life characters and second chances....

Former academic Arthur Opp weighs 550 pounds and hasn’t left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away in Yonkers, seventeen-year-old Kel Keller navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on what seems like a promising baseball career - if he can untangle himself from his family drama. The link between this unlikely pair is Kel’s mother, Charlene, a former student of Arthur’s. After nearly two decades of silence, it is Charlene’s unexpected phone call to Arthur - a plea for help - that jostles them into action. Through Arthur and Kel’s own quirky and lovable voices, Heft tells the winning story of two improbable heroes whose sudden connection transforms both their lives. Like Elizabeth McCracken’s The Giant’s House, Heft is a novel about love and family found in the most unexpected places.

©2012 Liz Moore (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A suspenseful, restorative novel from one of our fine young voices.” (Colum McCann, National Book Award–winning author)

“In Heft, Liz Moore creates a cast of vulnerable, lonely misfits that will break your heart and then make it soar. What a terrific novel!” (Ann Hood, best-selling author of The Red Thread)

“This is the real deal, Liz Moore is the real deal - she’s written a novel that will stick with you long after you’ve finished it.” (Russell Banks, Pulitzer Prize finalist)

…..Unhappy in its Own Way…..

This novel is real. Life is hard and this book is hard and discouraging—and real. If you just finished watching Schindler’s List and still feel a little too buoyant, then give this book a try. It will surely succeed in reacquainting you will life’s harsh reality.

This book follows two very different characters. Both are portrayed realistically. I found the depiction of Arthur Opp to be insightfully tragic and well fleshed-out. I feel now as if I have a better understanding of the plight of the morbidly obese: what it must be like to be so corpulent that going out in public is a burden too massive to bear. Arthur Opp is a sympathetic character; a man who has given into his one besetting sin. Not so far from any one of us if we were to cease resisting the temptation to do the same. He is not beyond redemption, but it has taken him many years to get into his present state, and no quick remedy is possible. This was a human being and this was a man with a story.

Kel Keller the high-school Baseball phenom seems to be everything that is wrong with the younger generation: Secret home life with an alcoholic mother. Popular athlete who is encouraged to be the hero by day and subverted by his very popularity into becoming the promiscuous party boy by night—you know, normal high school life. Kel is so out of touch with the reality of his own situation that he can’t bring himself to tell the girl he loves his true feelings but then has casual sex with another girl he hardly knows—and thinks nothing of it! His only regret is that his real love finds out: something that any right thinking person would surely expect, but that never even crosses his mind. His story is a spiral out of control that is, if anything, more sad than Arthur Opp eating his way into oblivion. I found it a very alienating experience getting inside the head of such a youth so intent on being misspent. I hated the scenes with Kel Keller, dreaded them when they appeared, not because they were trite or cliché, but because they seemed so true that it caused me to lose any hope for this present generation. If they are like Kel Keller, then we are doomed.


The narration, by two different performers, is first-rate. It is fitting that the two main characters should have separate narrators since they are so very different people. This contributes to the reality of the story.

Kirby Heyborne is Kel Keller. He gives an authentic portrayal of a confused teenager stumbling through life with no guidance and no moral compass. Kirby Heyborne earns praise for imparting what seem to me to be authentic inflections of a young boy who doesn't know how to think like a man.

Keith Szarabajka is Arthur Opp. He gives a sensitive reading of the man who wants to be different but is pulled by his irresistible urges. Keith Szarabajka is so talented that he can give an authentic portrayal of not only an obese middlegaed man but also the young Latina housemaid Yolanda. His portions of the book steal the show, chiefly because he is doing the Arthur Opp sections which are the most engaging portions of the story.

I didn't want this book to end!

I love this book. I love the character and the storyline. The character development is incredible. I literally tried to limit how log I listened to this book every day because I didn't want it to end. This is the 2nd Liz Moore book I've listened to this month. I can't wait for her next one.

OK Liz! GIVE ME A SEQUEL!!!

Narration: Kick Ass!!
In the beginning, I kind of questioned the narration of Keith Szarabajka, but as I got to know the character he was portraying, he was perfect. And loved his Yolanda!
I love everything Kirby Heyborne does as a narrator and he was perfect for Kel.

I thought it was a great story. Love, love, loved the characters and was so excited for how this was going to conclude and what impact the two main characters were going to have on each other. I've interupted my hubby on four different occasions to tell him what was going on and then...

it ended.

Did I miss something? Please someone else who's read this, help me out! What am I missing?

It doesn't appear to be a series, and I feel like there is so much more that I want to know about their futures. I was listening along happily and then BAM that's it. It was over... sigh
That's the only reason it's not 5 stars across the board.

GIVE ME A SEQUEL!!!!

entertainment

loved it well written loved the narrator would pass on to others to read and enjoy

Weighty and Uplifting

The story of people from different cultures, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds who share--and are ultimately brought together--by loneliness. A good reminder that the human experience is universal and people can save themselves by saving others. Recommended for those who enjoy a heartwarming PG story.

Deserves 6 Stars!

This is one of my favorite books this year. I feel so lucky to have discovered Liz Moore and even more happy to get it at a diiscounted price.
Arthurs's voice was so soothing. I wanted to just keep on listening to it. I could have listened to this book all in one sitting. All the characters are so real they come right out of the pages and I found myself silently rooting for them. it's a very engaging book. If its not already evident, I cannot rave enough. If there were more than 5 stars I would give them. Tugs on your heart in so many ways, and is so touchingly human. Great story , told and written so well.

A Good Story

Narration was excellant. Good switching up of voices.
Ending seemed abrupt. I would have liked the story to go a bit further. Don't want to be a spoiler, so can't be specific.

Isolation and connection

It's a story about loneliness, isolation, addiction as solace, and ultimately, the healing power of human connection.

In retrospect, the title is a bit misleading. Because while the main character uses food as his comfort and his self sabotage, each character has different, but equally fierce demons to contend with.

As you might imagine, it’s a bit of a depressing read. But it’s heartfelt and hopeful in the end. I think it will stick with me for some time.

The Character of Arthur is Superb!

I loved this on audio, but am not sure I would have liked it as much in print. The voice of Arthur really brought this character to life for me and really increased the overall reading experience. The story was good, although some parts of Kell's story seemed to drag for me. I thought I had it all figured out, but there was a twist at the end that I did not see coming.

could have been excellent

Is there anything you would change about this book?

the "whining" was annoying at times, story was a bit predictable

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

characters were well developed and good insights into the inner worlds of the characters

What three words best describe Kirby Heyborne and Keith Szarabajka ’s voice?

clear, listenable, expressive

Was Heft worth the listening time?

yes, all in all, though the story certainly could have been reduced a bit