• The Present

  • By: Jay Martel
  • Narrated by: Fred Berman
  • Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (414 ratings)

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The Present  By  cover art

The Present

By: Jay Martel
Narrated by: Fred Berman
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Publisher's summary

Adam Diehl is an 11-year-old in crisis. He knows his parents are going to split up - today - and he'd do anything in his power to stop them. If only he could turn back time....

As it turns out, he can.

What his parents don't know - what his sister and brother would never suspect - is that Adam is a genius, and the computer he stares at all day has opened a gateway to knowledge beyond our comprehension.

But not Adam's.

Now, he has a plan. He's going to repeat this day over and over until he finds the version of it that ends with his parents staying together. But he can't keep resetting the day forever.

Because the laws of time are strict, and they're starting to push back.

©2021 Jay Martel (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

About the Creator

Jay Martel is a novelist, essayist, screenwriter, director, and actor. For his work in TV, he's received Emmy, Peabody, and WGA awards. He recently adapted his previous novel, The Present (also available on Audible), into a movie, which will be released in 2023 starring Greg Kinnear and Isla Fisher. His first novel, Channel Blue, is also available on Audible and is being developed as a feature by Paramount Pictures.
Martel served as a showrunner, executive producer and writer for Key & Peele. He’s fulfilled the same functions on many comedies including Alternatino, Teachers, Halfway Home, and Strangers With Candy. He also cowrote the comedy Get Hard. Martel is a contributor to The New Yorker, where his humor appears regularly.

About the Performer

Fred Berman is an award-winning narrator of more than 200 books. A New York native, Berman brings energy and enthusiasm to every project, whether it’s mystery or fantasy, biography or YA. He is an accomplished actor of both the stage and screen as well, performing on Broadway as Timon in The Lion King and Off-Broadway in The Normal Heart, Room Service, and Bury The Dead, among others. On television, he has had roles in HBO’s High Maintenance as well as the NBC series Smash and Law & Order and Forever on ABC. His film credits include: Putzel, The Judge, Twelve Thirty, A Very Special Episode, and Directing Eddie. Fred is also a drummer and played for many years with the NYC rock legends, Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday. He lives in New York with his wife and two kids, banging out Rush songs on the drums in his basement in his spare time.

What listeners say about The Present

Average customer ratings
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Excellent time loop story

I fully enjoyed this story, it was a lot of fun and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves time travel stories. One of the most unique approaches I've seen, and I love time loop stories a great deal.

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15 people found this helpful

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Enjoyable

This was a fantastic story. I enjoyed it from beginning to the end. It was a twist on wanting a remake of a horrible day in your life. Well done!

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2 people found this helpful

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loved it

if you are into sci-fi I highly recommend this book. it was very clever and interesting especially from the point of a 11 year old autistic boy

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23 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A clever, well written adventure

I loved this book! I was hopelessly hooked after the first couple of chapters. The story is imaginative and it draws you in...hoping for the same outcome as Adam, the main character. Well done!

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10 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

this is not my usual style of book

the story was different. it actually got a bit repetitive tho there was some humor and it was light. I would not read it again but I liked it all enough to read to the end. there is sort of a si-fi fantasy aspect to this story. it was inoffensive and not violent. the reader was good I thought. I will not share this with my sig. other as he would not like the unrealistic plot. was it a waste of time? no, because I read the entire book. I was entertained.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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interesting but a bit depressing

you do feel the frustration and sadness that the main character feels. it deals with many personalities and different types of people and their strengths and weaknesses, but this kind of depressing in the process. spoiler: things do work out in the end.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

too much swearing & sex

While listening to this book, I decided that it was written for older kids or young adults EXCEPT for the swearing and the sex. Those were totally not necessary for the story. So while I might encourage my teen to know the story, I couldn't, in good conscience, have them listen to it. Disappointing for a Audible production.

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2 people found this helpful

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favorite chicken, favorite chicken

What a fantastic story. The characters are so relatable. This week I got rid of all of my TVs; this book made the transition so easy.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Anything to keep them together

A family of 5 go through Groundhog Day on steroids.
It’s funny, sad, and will melt your heart.
The narrator is one I know well from other books he has performed and again did not let me down.

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1 person found this helpful

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surprisingly good!

I almost gave up after 2 chapters, but eventually decided to finish this book. it's really clever and interesting. well narrated, too.

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