Divergent Author Veronica Roth on Her Favorite Listens to Escape the World

Author Veronica Roth is known for creating some of the most captivating imagined worlds with her award-winning YA Divergent trilogy. Now she's worked that same otherworldly magic with her first novel for adults, Chosen Ones. Fans can expect another epic story that only Roth can deliver, expertly narrated by Dakota Fanning. But when Roth isn't creating these wild worlds, she seeks them out to experience herself. Here are her six favorite audiobooks to escape with.

Mirage

Somaiya Daud

Does the world feel like a little too much right now? I feel you. May I suggest the following: Sit down with the story of a girl taken from her home to be the body double for a cruel princess…in SPACE! Somaiya Daud’s novel provides a sumptuous backdrop for political intrigue, romance, and deeper questions about freedom and identity, narrated beautifully by Rasha Zamamiri.

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Illuminae

Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Once you’re done with that, move on to the first book in Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Illuminae Files, an inventive series of documents detailing the story of spaceships in peril and the two people fighting like hell to save them. The series is uniquely suited to the audio format, and the full cast makes it completely absorbing.

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Sleeping Giants

Sylvain Neuvel

Also in a rich full-cast format, Sylvain Neuvel’s novel explores the mystery of a giant alien artifact unfolding over a series of transcripts and journal entries. It will suck you in and provide a much-needed trip for your brain.

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New Waves

Kevin Nguyen

It’s possible that with all the Netflix parties and Zoom calls, you have begun to think about the nature of online life. Kevin Nguyen is here for you. In this story of a heist gone wrong in a two-minutes-in-the-future setting, he also examines our online lives and the things we think we know about each other…and ourselves. Multiple narrators provide an enjoyable audio experience.

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Lincoln in the Bardo

George Saunders

I don’t know about you, but I currently do the exact same thing every day, and it has made me desperate for novelty. This listen is a spectacular remedy for that particular problem. With a huge cast peppered with recognizable voices, and an experimental structure that engages your mind and heart, it’s perfect for when you want something unlike anything you’ve heard before.

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Sadie

Courtney Summers

Listen. With all of—imagine me gesturing at the news—THAT happening, it’s not surprising we have trouble focusing. What might help? A book that grabs you and doesn’t let you go. This story, told partly in narrative and partly in podcast transcripts, fits the bill perfectly. The titular main character is on a dark mission, and you won’t be able to rest until she sees it through.

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