We're All Damaged

By: Matthew Norman

Narrated by: Scott Merriman

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Andy Carter was happy. He had a solid job. He ran 5Ks for charity. He was living a nice, safe Midwestern existence. And then his wife left him for a handsome paramedic down the street.

We're All Damaged begins after Andy has lost his job, ruined his best friend's wedding, and moved to New York City, where he lives in a tiny apartment with an angry cat named Jeter that isn't technically his. But before long he needs to go back to Omaha to say good-bye to his dying grandfather.

Back home, Andy is confronted with his past, which includes his ex, his ex's new boyfriend, his right-wing talk-radio-host mother, his parents' crumbling marriage, and his still-angry best friend.

As if these old problems weren't enough, Andy encounters an entirely new complication: Daisy. She has fifteen tattoos, no job, and her own difficult past. But she claims she is the only person who can help Andy be happy again, if only she weren't hiding a huge secret that will mess things up even more. Andy Carter needs a second chance at life, and Daisy - and the person Daisy pushes Andy to become - may be his last chance to set things right.

©2016 Matthew Norman (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Cool characters

Cool storytelling about a 30s something living life and just being normal. Relating everything to movies and 90s television shows. The jokes come fast

Funny, Sad, Really engrossing.

"We're All Damaged" is a story about Andy Carter, a guy who was divorced a few years ago, and is still fucked up from it. She's with a new guy and everyone around him is telling him to move on, but he just can't. Meanwhile, his grandfather is dying back in his hometown, so he had to go down there to be with his family and unfortunately, that means being near the woman that broke his heart.

What follows is a series of alternately and sometimes simultaneously funny and sad misadventures as Andy tries desperately to work through his shit, and with the help of a mysterious girl named Daisy, possibly even be happy again.

What makes this book so great, to me, was the way it acts as a story, but also a snapshot of the citizens of Omaha, Nebraska. It checks in on different characters in Andy's life, characters that seem to be one note cliches, but actually turn out to be layered people that, by the end, you feel like you're best friends (or worst enemies) with. Every character had their quirks and their damages, hence the title.

Funny, sad and anchored by a fantastic cast of characters. This book is amazing, and I recommend it to anyone who liked Apatow's Love on Netflix. 5/5

loved this book. great narration!!! great story.

as always no spoilers in my reviews,🙆
this book was a hidden gem. it wasn't really my go to genre at all. however it was the daily deal and I grabbed it. so grateful I did. I don't believe I will ever forget these characters. they all are truly memorable. worth your time for sure

A story I kept thinking back on after it was over.

Would you listen to We're All Damaged again? Why?

I WILL listen to the story again. I knew that as soon as it ended. It won't be this minute, but it has gone onto my reread pile for another go at a later date. I enjoyed it very much. It was a story that lingered with me after it ended and which I mentally mulled over throughout the day after it was finished.

What was one of the most memorable moments of We're All Damaged?

Perhaps near the end when Daisy reveals that despite the healing of time, some damage may still stay with you.

What about Scott Merriman’s performance did you like?

The narrators performance was transparent. Rather than hearing the narrator I envisioned the characters. Great narration.

Who was the most memorable character of We're All Damaged and why?

Daisy of course. She is the most complex of the characters; there is more to her than you may at first realize. She is in ways the most together character, yet still embodies the theme, and the title, of the book.

Any additional comments?

The publishers summary was misleading. Daisy does have a job. She has several. And nowhere do I recall hearing Daisy "claims she is the only person who can help Andy be happy again". That sounds conceited, and conceit has nothing to do with Daisy wanting to help Andy. I also don't believe it is accurate to say that "she is hiding a huge secret that will mess things up even more". She is not actively 'hiding' anything. She knows who she is, she understands her own motivations, and is just fine with herself. There are some things that aren't necessary for you to blurt out to another person as soon as you meet them, in the name of 'not hiding' things about yourself. Maybe it just isn't somebody's business...

so many things I've goes through, one way or anoth

very glad to listen to this book. There are a few things that seem like a right of passage into, maybe what could be called real adulthood of life... at least for those of us in the dating scene, or maybe everyone... A feel good book, if I could articulate properly... something like learning to be laid back and enjoy life at every turn without worrying all the time kind of thing...

Very enjoyable read

I laughed out loud at a few areas. I just don't do that. Anyone that has gone through a time when their heart has been destroyed by someone will really like this book.

hilariously good

absolutely loved this story. Its absolutely absurd in so many ways, but I haven't laughed this hard at a book in a very long time.

Don't Miss This Book

This book was available on Kindle Unlimited, with deeply discounted Audible narration. I decided to give it a try because other reviewers made it sound like it could be okay. I realized on page one that I would have gladly spent a lot for this book. The writing is terrific, the narrator is fabulous!

Matthew Norman captures the every day-ness of life's events and peoples' interactions so completely it felt like I was there, going along with Andy as he navigated his way through life feeling damaged. And dealing with his own "damaged" family. I laughed out loud, sometimes in taken-by-surprise bursts as the phrases hit me in that nanosecond after I had heard them and their full impact hit. These people are real. And they're funny and sad and shallow and deep and complicated. I haven't read anything else by Matthew Norman, but I can tell you that I wil!

Don't miss this great book.

Great book to listen to.

The title of this book is a perfect description of what you're gonna get from it.
Well put together and a great narrated experience.

Good book

It was an easy read which I enjoyed and I found that the performance was done effortlessly.