The Never List

By: Koethi Zan

Narrated by: Kristen Zieh

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

There were four of us down there for the first 32 months and 11 days of our captivity. And then, very suddenly and without warning, there were three. Even though the fourth person hadn’t made any noise at all in several months, the room got very quiet when she was gone. For a long time after that, we sat in silence, in the dark, each of us wondering what this meant for her and for us, and which of us would be the next in the box.

Never get in the car. For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the ‘Never List’: a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs. But one night, they failed to follow their own rules.

Never go out alone after dark. Sarah has spent ten years trying to forget her ordeal. But now the FBI has news that forces her to confront her worst fears.

Never take risks. If she is to uncover the truth about what really happened to Jennifer, Sarah needs to work with the other women who shared her nightmare. But they won’t be happy to hear from her. Because down there in the dark, Sarah wasn’t just a victim.

Never trust anyone.

©2013 Koethi Zan (P)2013 Penguin Audio, published in the UK by Random House AudioGo 2013

Thrilling story

Would you consider the audio edition of The Never List to be better than the print version?

I think both would be equal, Kristen Zieh's narration may not be to everyone's liking although I think her tone fit the personality of the main character.

What other book might you compare The Never List to, and why?

I don't think I've read any other book like it!

Did Kristen Zieh do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

I think there could have been more of an emphasis on each character's tone/voice so it would be easier to distinguish each character. Saying that, I never struggled to know who was speaking and the story was easy to follow so it didn't interrupt the book at all.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't laugh or cry, although the situation the girls faced in the book filled me with sympathy and disgust.

Any additional comments?

I was fascinated by the story line and left in suspense at to what would unfold and how the characters would end up.

Meandering melodrama

I bought this book based on the Richard and Judy interview with the author. It promised to be an insightful account of prolonged abduction and torture and how the protagonist deals with the the aftermath. Instead I found it to be meandering and convoluted, with revelation after twist after revelation towards the end, with a simply daft, almost Scooby-do type finale.
Amma Donoghue's "Room" was a much better account of life as an abductee, touching and truly harrowing, largely because of the understated way it is written, although I didn't have the audio of that book.

excellent dark thriller

brilliant book with dark twisting plotline and an engaging, surprising development at every turn. highly recommended

The darkest corners of the human mind

Would you consider the audio edition of The Never List to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Never List?

Some of the descriptions of torture were quite starling.

What does Kristen Zieh bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The reader always adds their own interpretation of the way the characters talk.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really, but I don't think this story was meant to elicit an emotional reaction.

Any additional comments?

Fast-paced thriller with lots of plot twists.