Together We Will Go

By: J. Michael Straczynski

Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Dan Bittner, Neo Cihi, Michael Crouch, Samantha Desz, Kyla Garcia, Jonathan Todd Ross, Fred Sanders, Tara Sands, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Kevin R. Free, Aden Hakimi

Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

The Breakfast Club meets The Silver Linings Playbook in this powerful, provocative, and heartfelt novel about 12 endearing strangers who come together to make the most of their final days, from New York Times best-selling and award-winning author J. Michael Straczynski.

Mark Antonelli, a failed young writer looking down the barrel at 30, is planning a cross-country road trip. He buys a beat-up old tour bus. He hires a young army vet to drive it. He puts out an ad for others to join him along the way. But this will be a road trip like no other: His passengers are all fellow disheartened souls who have decided that this will be their final journey - upon arrival in San Francisco, they will find a cliff with an amazing view of the ocean at sunset, hit the gas, and drive out of this world.

The unlikely companions include a young woman with a chronic pain sensory disorder and another who was relentlessly bullied at school for her size; a bipolar, party-loving neo-hippie; a gentle coder with a literal hole in his heart and blue skin; and a poet dreaming of a better world beyond this one. We get to know them through access to their texts, emails, voicemails, and the daily journal entries they write as the price of admission for this trip.

By turns tragic, funny, quirky, charming, and deeply moving, Together We Will Go explores the decisions that brings these characters together, and the relationships that grow between them, with some discovering love and affection for the first time. But as they cross state lines and complications to the initial plan arise, it becomes clear that this is a novel as much about the will to live as the choice to end it. The final, unforgettable moments as they hurtle toward the decisions awaiting them will be remembered for a lifetime.

©2021 Synthetic Worlds, Ltd. All rights reserved (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved

Critic reviews

"With its engaging mix of emails, recordings, and sound effects, this book is perfectly realized in audio. Listeners will be captivated by the text conversations, impromptu recordings, and heartbreaking journal entries that are revealed throughout the trip. The narrators capture the depth of the passengers' personalities and circumstances, skillfully conveying their pain, shame, and exhaustion, while also highlighting their enduring tenderness. Discretion is strongly advised, but for those seeking a unique window onto a difficult topic, this is an unforgettable journey." (AudioFile Magazine)

Everyone should read

This book was amazing. It gives a real life look into what so many people feel. and if you have never felt this way, it allows you too see it from an outside point of view. Every emotion possible was felt during this book. Highly recommend.

Hooked me fast and kept me going

It had been a while since I listened to something that really pulled me in and made me prolong my listening sessions in order to get to the next part. This book did it. It's one of the best listens I have had on Audible. The full cast production really helps, giving each character a distinct voice. I really felt like I was listening along. The story is sad, happy, fun, and heartbreaking. It is very well written and performed.

It is not for everyone

This is a heavy book especially if you are struggling with depression. It is unique and unusual. I personally was able to relate to it.

What a long, strange trip it's been...

Absolutely brilliant. You think Mark, the architect of this bus trip to hell, is the main character, but no. It's his 12 passengers and the bus driver who really supply the fireworks. Such an excellent, diverse cast of strangers who come together with one goal for 12 different reasons. The character development is a study so deep and perfect you'll find yourself immersed in their lives, past and present. The subject matter, suicide, is about life itself. And the story line is complex, realistic, funny, moving, tragic, heartwarming and so much more. This is a MUST Listen/Read. The multiple narrators are all excellent.

Great performance

Just picked it as a time killer and I ended up enthralled. read it

A new favorite

This book really made me think of life through a new perspective. At times it’s sad, funny at others. But the subject of suicide is complicated and this book opened my eyes to the many reasons some might chose that route.
I really enjoyed this book I highly recommend that you give it a listen and then you decide.

emotional and thought provoking

heart breaking and beautiful, a well written story, with great performances in the audio book version

Excellent Performance!

I bought this one on a whim on sale. I really really enjoyed it. The book is thought-provoking, endearing, interesting, and heart-breaking.

Every possible point of view is explored

The characters were well written, and real, and if you don’t shed a few tears in the last 25 minutes, you have no soul.

This is neither an argument for or an argument against, it is an exploration of finding meaning.

Rough Read but Worth it.

Despite knowing the subject matter up front, this book was much more raw than I expected. It was painful and beautiful. Not a book for the faint of heart. The profanity and deep darkness the characters often live through can be hard to experience. But I'm glad I have it a chance.