Gone So Long

By: Andre Dubus III

Narrated by: Andre Dubus III

Length: 16 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Andre Dubus III’s first novel in a decade is a masterpiece of thrilling tension and heartrending empathy. Few writers can enter their characters so completely or evoke their lives as viscerally as Andre Dubus III. In this deeply compelling new novel, a father, estranged for the worst of reasons, is driven to seek out the daughter he has not seen in decades.

Daniel Ahearn lives a quiet, solitary existence in a seaside New England town. Forty years ago, following a shocking act of impulsive violence on his part, his daughter, Susan, was ripped from his arms by police.

Now in her 40s, Susan still suffers from the trauma of a night she doesn’t remember, as she struggles to feel settled, to love a man, and create something that lasts. Lois, her maternal grandmother who raised her, tries to find peace in her antique shop in a quaint Florida town but cannot escape her own anger, bitterness, and fear.

Cathartic, affirming, and steeped in the empathy and precise observations of character for which Dubus is celebrated, Gone so Long explores how the wounds of the past afflict the people we become and probes the limits of recovery and absolution.

©2018 Andre Dubus III (P)2018 Recorded Books

author should not read aloud

it was okay. But, the authors droning speech made it almost unbearable. I cant recommend spending time or money on it. House of Sand and Fog was phenomenal but this is not even close.

Soulful narration by the author

I never want Andre Dubus III’s books to end, especially when he is reading the me. I am surprised at the reviewers who report not finishing Dubus’s work. The author teaches us to be more understanding and compassionate as the book goes on—I was not ready to say goodbye to the characters —

great emotions and inner dialogue

troubled characters, but so well developed. long story, but I was drawn in by the internal struggle of each

Monotone narrator

I just started listening but I wish I’d listen to the sample. The book sounds interesting but the narrator has the most boring, inflection free manner that I may not be able to stick it out.

Human and empathetic.

I thought the narrator was perfect for this story. It set the right tone and feeling. I cannot imagine a narrator that would have tried to “act” the parts out. I loved this book, so well written!

Authors are not readers

Andre Dubus is one of my favorite authors. “House of Sand and Fog” was wonderful. This audiobook would have been so much better if a professional had read it. My attention wandered and I found myself rewinding to listen to key parts again because Andre’s voice is very monotonous. This was also the case for the book “4321” by Paul Auster. That was also a very interesting book which put me to sleep because the author read it in a flat monotone. Are these authors trying to save money? They would sell many more audiobooks if they let a pro do the reading.
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Extraordinary story read beautifully by the author

Powerful and heart-wrenching. I am so glad I listened to this novel by Andre Dubus III.

Gripping, but fizzles out in the end

I enjoyed the story throughout, but I felt kinda tricked by the slow build to a somewhat lackluster ending.

I have seen many reviews complaining about Dubus narrating his own books, but while I might agree with some other authors, I think Dubus' narration is perfect for his stories.

Magnificent

I loved “Gone So Long.” The writing is exquisite, haunting. This story had me on the edge of my seat because I didn’t know how it would end. Fine, thrilling writing.

Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves

The last time I was this involved with characters I was reading Bleak House or A Tale of Two Cities. It's a simple story but as Lois tells her grand daughter, "just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy." Danial Ahearn killed the thing he loved as Oscar Wilde warned he would. This act of murder did not just ruin Danial's life, it ruined the lives of many people, most specifically his own mother's, his mother-in-law Lois's and his baby daughter Susan's. In the hands of a Nabokov all of these characters would be hateful but we'd be carried on by the strength of his prose. In the hands of Andre Dubus III we learn to love these deeply flawed and conflicted characters... and are drawn on by the strength of his prose.

I cannot remember the last time I read a book by a living author that moved me this powerfully. I came to identify so deeply with Danial Ahearn but at the same time understand the anger and frustration of Lois Dube and the conflicted depression of Susan Dunn. The suspense created as Danial finds Susan on the internet, writes his letter to his estranged daughter and slowly moves down the east coast from New England to Florida, is tremendous. But there is no evil person here. Danial made a horrible mistake which he's paid for over and over and now his life is coming to a close. How will this guilt ridden tradesman justify himself to the 43-year-old daughter whose life he has so profoundly altered?