The Friend of the Family

De: Dean Koontz

Narrado por: Rachel L. Jacobs

A girl liberated from a carnival sideshow discovers her mysterious purpose in a moving novel about family, sacrifice, and transcendent love by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.

The human “oddities” in the Museum of the Strange are less wondrous than the gawking rubes had been promised. But Alida is something else. The real thing. Traveling Depression-era America from carnival midways to speakeasies, Alida is resigned to an exploited and lonely life on the road as the museum’s golden ticket. Until she’s rescued by two compassionate strangers.

Franklin and Loretta Fairchild see in Alida a gifted and uncannily well-read girl in need of a loving touch and a family. With the openhearted couple and their three precociously imaginative children, Alida finds it. Yet despite everyone’s overwhelming generosity and acceptance, Alida knows she is still a very different kind of girl. Her dreams bear that out. They’re vivid, unsettling, and threatening. Alida fears that they’re also warnings. And that it’s the Fairchilds who may need rescue from a bad, bad world.

Alida will do anything to help those she now holds nearest and dearest. Empowered with a purpose to vanquish evil, she will not fail her family.

©2026 by Dean Ray Koontz and Gerda Ann Koontz, as Trustees of the Koontz Living Trust dated July 11, 1994. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Decency defies evil when the carnival comes to town in Depression-era America…Will good prevail in this compassionate, emotional story? Readers’ eyes may spring a few leaks, so keep your tissues handy.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

So beautiful

It took me a while to recognize this was actually by my favorite author. No horror except the horrible way humans treat someone who is different.
It evolved into such a beautifully brilliant story. He had to have sobbed as he wrote the end. It was glorious. Thank you.

Friend of the Family

In my opinion, Dean Koontz best book! The story is engaging, extremely original, full of history and totally awesome ending.

Get Out Your Tissues.

You will cry. You will laugh till you cry. Once again, Dean Koontz has created vivid, brilliant characters the reader will love and hate. Not a thriller like many of his novels, The Friend of the Family is simply the story of a girl who lived through hell before being rescued by a benevolent and loving family. And, of course, there's a dog.

The reader was excellent, putting just the right emotion into every word. She felt the story, and she conveyed that expertly.

Kindness

I loved the development of the characters. I had some thoughts on how the story would unfold, but was surprised and blessed by the kindness exhibited by the characters

story of Love

I did like this book but I would say at some times it seemed tedious. I am not sure that I like the ending. I think I'll have to listen again soon yep maybe right now ☺️ Dean gave us a story to think about as always