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)

This book made my heart sing!

Just a beautifully written and wonderfully performed story. I binge listened and even found some data entry I was able to do at work, just so I could keep listening and not be distracted. Nothing treacly or maudlin - real life on the pages. Life, hope and love - and I'm not a sentimental person.

Seems to be missing the other half

I was really hooked by Kel Keller's storyline. I wanted to know more and more as I struggled with him. But Arthur's arc had the polar opposite effect on me, found it to be slow and with not much to add to the story.
I was really confused when the book ended, Kel's story was getting very interesting, Arthur's arc was starting to make sense and then it just ended. Seems like I'm missing the other half of the book.
I wanted to see this develop further, for sure.

Enjoyable listen

What did you love best about Heft?

I really enjoyed the two narrators, and the two stories, and wondering how they would become one.

What did you like best about this story?

The character development.

What about Kirby Heyborne and Keith Szarabajka ’s performance did you like?

They were each so pleasant to listen to, I thought they did a GREAT job!

Who was the most memorable character of Heft and why?

Arthur Opp, he was so lonely and isolated, I really felt for him. Makes you wonder how many others are like him in the world. Sad.

Any additional comments?

I was glad I listened to this book. I found myself smiling along with the story, although certainly some parts were sad.

Heartbreakingly beautiful

If you could sum up Heft in three words, what would they be?

The Lonely Heart

What did you like best about this story?

I loved everything about this story. My heart broke over and over again as I listened to Kel's story and his frustration as he sought out his real father, and as I empathized with Arthur throughout his struggle with loneliness. The relationships in this book were very real and painful. Was the book "fun"? No! Peoples' pain is never enjoyable, but this was a very special narrative that will follow me for a very very long time.

Have you listened to any of Kirby Heyborne and Keith Szarabajka ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have never heard either of these narrators before.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I could have, I would have listened in one sitting. I was drawn to the book with such a strong pull as to have been magnetic.

Any additional comments?

This was a wonderfully written and narrated story. I can't recommend it highly enough. Many reviewers give a précis of the story but I feel that takes something away, for the potential reader of the book. Just buy this book... you will never regret it.

Family Is What You Make Of It

This is a captivating story that redefines "family" while exposing the loneliness people of all ages can experience. Not a happy book per se, a bit heart wrenching at times, but well worth the time and credit. The narration is terrific and the characters are well defined and relatable. This was a good listen!

Loved This Book

When I saw that this book was partially narrated by Kirby Heyborne (Gone Girl), I had to give it a listen and I was not disappointed. This story grabbed me from the first moments. Themes of loneliness and belonging are wound into the parallel tales of an extremely overweight shut-in and a high school baseball star, grappling with a secret home life he's ashamed of. Keith Szarabajka (whom I had never heard before) and Kirby Heyborne provide remarkable narration and exquisitely bring this book to life. This pure, simple story, not unlike Labor Day, just stays with you in a way that's hard to articulate... but I've recommended it to friends who have all been equally touched by it. For a contemporary novel, I thought it was very unique and the ending surprised but not disappointed me.

I want to go to Arthur's party :(

I got this book based on your reviews and I wasn't disappointed- really enjoyed this story and the characters...I wish there had been more, but I understand why it ended like it did...

5% from Greatness

One line of story is not quite as tight as The Goldfinch, another "orphaned boy" story, but that is setting a high bar for comparison purposes. The parallel track with Arthur was truly unique. And the narrator for Arthur was superb - a great example of an audiobook providing enrichment above and beyond the pages. I am anxious to see what Liz Moore does next.

Hopeful and Heartbreaking...

Every once in a while, every now and again, you will stumble along on a book that absolutely speaks to you, as if the author had you in mind while writing it. The story of Arthur Opp and Kel did that for me. The characters just seemed so believable; their struggles and profound loneliness resonated so much with me. Though separated at the start by circumstance, their personal journeys converge in a way that is surprisingly suspenseful.

This story can get rather grim at times and nothing ever comes easy for our protagonists, but it is their struggle for if not happiness at least a kind of peace that keeps us so engaged.

Kirby Heyborne is excellent as always, but it is Keith Szarabajka as Aurther Opp who really shines here. There is a lifelong weariness in that voice. It breaks my heart.

I love this book.

NOT HEAVY

Would you listen to Heft again? Why?

YEs I was caught up in the story and wanted to know " WHATS NEXT"

Who was your favorite character and why?

The maid : she really brought life to the story