Icarus

A True Story

De: Jeffrey Eugenides

Narrado por: Jeffrey Eugenides

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides comes an intimate memoir of his father’s spectacular rise–and tragic end.

A few days before Thanksgiving 1994, Jeffrey Eugenides’s father, Gus, was piloting a small plane when it crashed in Daytona Beach, Florida. The circumstances surrounding his death added to the mystery of a life that defied expectations, but left many questions unanswered.

Now, more than 30 years later, Eugenides tells the story of how his father, a first-generation American, rose from Detroit’s east side to find financial success as a mortgage banker and real estate developer–only to lose it all. Was he the victim of a series of bad breaks, or did his dogged pursuit of the American Dream lead him to overextend and overreach? And, ironically, what role did the U.S. government play in bringing ruin to this most patriotic of citizens?

Written in an engaging style more direct than that of his novels, Eugenides appears here unmasked to deliver a moving account of his relationship with his indomitable father, a man for whom he felt admiration, exasperation, gratitude, tenderness, pity and love. Read by the author, this deeply personal audio journey invites listeners to join Eugenides as he finally confronts the truth of his father's last flight.

Additional narration provided by Barrett Leddy, Neil Hellegers, and Vikas Adam.

©2025 Jeffrey Eugenides (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC.

Very poignant story

The loss is painful for all involved. The learning curve was steep for the author too.

Writer's block until it came to his father

The author does a good job as the narrator of this story. He seems to have a writer's block as he gathers materials for many proposed stories, and then moves onto another one without making inroads into previous projects. Once he receives a vital transcript, this story is especially poignant as Mr. Eugenides considers his father up close and personal.

A Tribute to a Father

As we grow older, we as children see our parents in a different light. We come to an understanding. The beauty of this story, is the rawness of the event against the gentle understanding of the author. Made me smile and warmed my soul.

Heartbreaking but well told story. Author-narrated.

I love Jeffrey Eugenides' writing and this poignant story of his father's death is no exception. That it was narrated not only by an actual human (increasingly rare to find on Audible, it seems) but by the author himself added to the pathos of the story in the best way possible. Thank you, Mr. Eugenides, for sharing this touching tribute with us.

Ode to his Father

I loved the history. I could feel the authors love and respect for his father.