The Hero of This Book

A Novel

By: Elizabeth McCracken

Narrated by: Elizabeth McCracken

Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

A Most Anticipated Book of Fall from: Los Angeles Times * Boston Globe * BookPage * Book Riot * The Millions * Publishers Weekly * LitHub * St. Louis Post Dispatch * Town & Country

A taut, groundbreaking new novel from bestselling and award-winning author Elizabeth McCracken, about a writer’s relationship with her larger-than-life mother—and about the very nature of writing, memory, and art

Ten months after her mother’s death, the narrator of The Hero of This Book takes a trip to London. The city was a favorite of her mother’s, and as the narrator wanders the streets, she finds herself reflecting on her mother’s life and their relationship. Thoughts of the past meld with questions of the future: Back in New England, the family home is now up for sale, its considerable contents already winnowed.

The woman, a writer, recalls all that made her complicated mother extraordinary—her brilliant wit, her generosity, her unbelievable obstinacy, her sheer will in seizing life despite physical difficulties—and finds herself wondering how her mother had endured. Even though she wants to respect her mother’s nearly pathological sense of privacy, the woman must come to terms with whether making a chronicle of this remarkable life constitutes an act of love or betrayal.

The Hero of This Book is a searing examination of grief and renewal, and of a deeply felt relationship between a child and her parents. What begins as a question of filial devotion ultimately becomes a lesson in what it means to write. At once comic and heartbreaking, with prose that delights at every turn, this is a novel of such piercing love and tenderness that we are reminded that art is what remains when all else falls away.

©2022 Elizabeth McCracken (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Needs a professional narrator

Really interesting style a mix of memoir/ fiction. And of course the writing was excellent. I thought long and hard about it but still believe this audiobook needed a professional narrator. Surely one can be found who imparts the same wry tone but brings more varied intonation than the author ( who all but admitted in her text that she is a poor actor).

The narrator of this review is not the author

What a joy, the fey magic of this not-memoir.

Having now read the book on the printed page and listened to the author narrate such a brilliantly conceived whatever it is, I’m convinced there is no better master of well-mannered brutality.

Hell of a book. Highly recommend.

From an Admirer of An Exact Replica...

I have read most of McCracken's books, and my favorite is her beautiful memoir, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination. This book is a perfect companion to that one. It's brilliant and compact... and made me want to call my own mother and tell her I love her.

A Wonder

Hmmmm. What word is worthy of this performance? Magical? No, too teenagery. Wonderful? No, too boring. Hmmmm. What is the word for a lot of unsentimental love, some prickliness, a sliver of macabreness, and an admirable vigor?

Just lovely + perfect in the author's own voice

The wink and nod of the not-a-memoir bit is handled deftly and the reader never feels toyed with, thanks to a relatable frankness and wisely-timed peeks behind the privacy curtain McCracken sets up to shield her loved ones. If you can imagine vulnerable truth-telling by a person who by nature resists vulnerability and unvarnished sharing--that's what this is. Lightly varnished sharing. I came away respecting the boundary she established and grateful for the story she shared. She offered ample means to connect, as a reader. And I applaud her reading in her own voice. It's just the right voice for the material and the right material to eschew a high production value presentation. It felt intimate and real. Do recommend.

Tribute to a Mother

The author views her mother’s life using the format of a novel. It required two listenings to appreciate the rich prose and appreciate the stature and contributions of this splendid woman. My mother and my wife, who is a mother, were there as I listened.

Biased by catharsis

Thank you Elizabeth McCracken! I’ve lost my own mother within the past year, and she shared so many of your mother’s traits that they could have been doppelgängers. Listening to you read your own thoughts on your loss has been tremendously cathartic, and has helped me clarify many of my own. Beautifully written!

Walking together with Elizabeth in this grief

I lost my own mother on Oct 14, 2022. I am unclear how I came across the article recommending this book. I’m sure it was a Google search along the lines of “my mom just died and I need to hear someone else’s experience before I fall apart completely from my own.”

I am sitting here with many tears running down my face as I finished this book. The hero of this book is so, so much like my own hero, down to some of the same eccentricities and joy they imbued. My own mother uttered a version of “that’s one of my talents” on many occasions.

My affection for this book is deeply personal because of the mirrored images. Not the same, but similar.

There’s no other relationship like the mother/daughter dynamic, and there are many stories written and published painting the picture of so many of this dynamic. Not all are meant for everyone, but this one in particular was absolutely meant for me.

Thank you, Elizabeth. But also, how dare you! I can’t stop crying.

Surprising

I actually did not like the first half of this book, but grew to not only like it, but love it. The ending made me cry. Here’s to all the mothers! Especially mine!

Could not get into the story

I was excited to read this book but found it did not grab my attention and gave up when I was about 25% in.