Waif

By: Samantha Kolesnik

Narrated by: Jessica Saxon

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Angela has everything she thought she ever wanted—a successful husband, a lavish house, and a bottomless fortune.

But the sight of a strange man in a grocery store one night reawakens her dormant sexuality, and soon Angela embarks on a dangerous descent into the world of underground pornography and back-alley plastic surgery.

As the stakes get higher, long-buried memories resurface, and Angela finds herself enamored with Reena, a fetish film performer. With some help from a queer gang called The Waifs, Angela is forced to make the decision between her unhappy upper-class life and the treacherous world of underground film.

©2021 Samantha Kolesnik (P)2022 Samantha Kolesnik

Well.

This is the second book I read by this author and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot was wildt from start to finish. The author really picks great narrators. Worth the credit.

It was cool

It was kinda going one way but than went another. Left some open ends but I still enjoyed it. Lucky is free. Keep an open mind and just let the book happen.

Like a fever dream

When the final "Audible hopes you've enjoyed this program" played I responded with a shouted "I DON'T KNOW." The story moved from one terrible thing into another, weirder, more impossible terrible thing. And despite that, I enjoyed it. It is NOT predictable and it was awesome not knowing where the story was going. Do I recommend it? No idea. It'll leave an impression, that's for sure.

Well Aint It Fudged

I’m not sure what to say but it was reminiscent to a movie I saw long ago but no one remembers, I’m sure the movie was from a different timeline just like this book.
Morbid? Yes
Question of sexuality? Yes
Great wrap up? Yes
SA present? Yes
Eccentric? Yes
Progression to weird story plots? Yes

With that being said, I could identify with the character dealing with the past in a non traditional way, not allowing herself to become the victim but still putting faith in the wrong hands due to her ignorant and unrelenting innocence. It’s an out of box story about reckoning with trauma and moving forward in life.

Riveting & Disturbing

Great writing and narration! Angie is a complex, heartbreaking character headed down a dark path in her search for identity and belonging. Well crafted and impossible to put down.

Shred your Nerves!

Couldn’t look away from this one. Catastrophe and catharsis fight for control of the plot—all for a hell of an ending.

An ugly story beautifully written and authentically performed.

Mucho argumento para tan poca historia

La premisa del libro está buenísima. Pero es un libro corto y por momentos la historia da por sentado cosas que uno como lector tiene que adivinar o imaginar. Le falto desarrollo a las historias de los personajes.

Grindhouse Vibes for Grindhouse Lives

Angie's got some things to figure out, and this story of self-discovery is one of the most brutalizing I've listened to. Kolesnik doesn't hold back when exploring the viciousness of romantic relationships, coupling horror tropes with a story of a sexuality (re)discovered. Her characters are complex, messy, and oftentimes deeply flawed, which only serves to heighten the levels of discomfort the story can reach. She has an ear for prose and an imagination for the depraved, all of which make for tense storytelling with a genuine sense of danger and unease.

The audiobook experience is only made all the better thanks to Saxon's narrative performance. Saxon gives Angie a sense of dimension, and delivers an emotional performance that suits the tension of Kolesnik's story. She helps distinguish certain character voices through dramatic alterations to her tone or accent, which makes the story stand out.

If you're looking for a grindhouse experience with sapphic characters and queasy, violent scenes of self-discovery, this is your story. It's dark, gruesome, and well worth the journey.

Wild start to finish

I can't count the amount of "WTF's"I had listening to this book. But what an incredible storyteller, and what a great voice actor to do the narration. It draws you in from the start and has a very satisfying happily ever after.... If that's what you want to call it.

Crazy, dark, disturbing. Of course I loved it.

Damn, this was some kind of crazy dark messed up disturbing stuff up in here. And I loved everything about it.

Such a unique voice and story. I was enthralled from the very beginning.

All. The. Stars.