Do Not Become Alarmed

A Novel

By: Maile Meloy

Narrated by: Maile Meloy

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

From a beloved award-winning writer, the much-anticipated novel about what happens when two families go on a tropical vacation - and the children go missing.

When Liv and Nora decide to take their families on a holiday cruise, everyone is thrilled. The ship's comforts and possibilities seem infinite. The children - two 11-year-olds, an eight-year-old, and a six-year-old - love the nonstop buffet and the independence they have at the Kids' Club. But when they all go ashore in beautiful Central America, a series of minor misfortunes leads the families farther and farther from the ship's safety. One minute the children are there, and the next they're gone.

What follows is a riveting, revealing story told from the perspectives of the adults and the children, as the once-happy parents - now turning on one another and blaming themselves - try to recover their children and their lives.

Celebrated for her ability to write vivid, spare, moving fiction, Maile Meloy shows how quickly the life we count on can fall away and how a crisis changes everyone's priorities. The fast-paced, gripping plot of Do Not Become Alarmed carries with it an insightful, provocative examination of privilege, race, guilt, envy, the dilemmas of modern parenthood, and the challenge of living up to our own expectations.

©2017 Maile Meloy (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A very smart work of literary fiction... Meloy is such a deft writer that she keeps the adventure plot whizzing along even as she deepens our sense of the characters and the unfamiliar culture they have to navigate.” (Fresh Air, NPR)

"Meloy is a subtle and sophisticated writer…Meloy pokes around in some profound subject matter...[her] portrait of well-meaning but still ugly Americans resonates.” (New York Times)

“[Do Not Become Alarmed has] characters that are fully rendered and original, and writing that is beautifully spare and understated...while feeding us high drama.” (Los Angeles Review of Books)

Good book

I didn't care for the narrator, she didn't do well with different voices. Honestly, I almost didn't finish after the first few chapters. However, I was already interested and wanted to know what happened, so I endured. I'm glad I did, as I enjoyed the story. Some areas were a short on detail (for me) and in others too much, but overall it was good. I would have enjoyed it more had I read it rather than listened to the audible version.

easy listening

very easy to listen to while working not a very heavy detailed story so I was able to enjoy it without a lot of focus

Excellent book, riveting

The narrator had a bit of a lisp which seemed odd for an audiobook narrator. After awhile it seemed that maybe she was a native Spanish-speaker reading in English which would match the story... this audiobook was impossible to "put down".

Holds nothing back.

This novel goes every single place you are afraid it will go and more. Brava!

Another enjoyable book.

Where does Do Not Become Alarmed rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I listen to books while driving long distance. Although this is about a very serious subject, I found it light and easy to listen to. If you don't want to think a lot but like a story line that is heavy, this is for you. Again, not on my top ten list but it heals my attention.

Wanted to Love This

But I just didn't. I heard a review for the book on NPR and it sounded compelling. I actually really like the concept of the story. I also enjoy the story telling device of alternating narrators every chapter. But there was much I didn't enjoy. A variety of characters were introduced for absolutely no reason. Some prominent characters stayed woefully underdeveloped. The last third of the book was forcefully contrived. And yes, the narration was really awful. I feel terrible saying so because it came across as an earnest effort, but this author should really stick to writing and hire a professional for her audiobooks. The author had some great ideas and some of this book is beautifully written, but ultimately it fell annoyingly flat.

Did Not Want To Finish Reading

There are certain aspects of this book that made me sick. Finished for book club.

I should have known

The story was ok, but an author should never read their own story: it never goes well.

Great story with thoughtful insights and wonderful narration

Of course Maile Meloy is a beautiful and interesting writer and her story about families in terrifying circumstances took hold and didn't let go.

Really wanted to listen but...

Authors should not narrate their own novels! The story itself was engaging, but I couldn’t get past her rendering of it. I only got through the first few chapters before ditching it. I’m an avid listener to audiobooks, so my review comes from a lens of experience. Maybe when I have none left I’ll continue this one.