AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of May

Each month, our friends at AudioFile Magazine share a curated list of the best audiobooks for your literary listening pleasure.

*

MAY FICTION

Clear by Carys Davies| Read by Russ Bain
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Simon & Schuster Audio | 3 hrs.]

Russ Bain flawlessly presents Carys Davies’s novel featuring three extraordinary, believable characters in 1840s Scotland. Listeners meet awkward Reverend John Ferguson and his kindhearted wife, Mary, as he sets sail for a remote island to evict Ivar, who’s lived there alone for decades. Bain seamlessly blends Davies’s three disparate viewpoints and moving descriptions of Ivar’s simple way of life. Audio superbly conveys the stunning conclusion, adding depth to this remarkable story.

Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang, Ken Liu [Trans.]| Read by Catherine Ho
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Simon & Schuster Audio | 15 hrs.]

Catherine Ho is an excellent storyteller for this first installment in the Folding Universe series. Set in 2080, this space thriller is steeped in Chinese philosophy. Archaeologist Yun Fan, military researcher Qi Fei, and astronomer Jiang Liu realize an alien race is returning to Earth. The trio join forces to meet the aliens in space before the organized governments of Earth can complicate matters. Ho creates complex personas for the three young people, especially Yun. Ho is skilled at making philosophical debates seem a normal part of everyday conversation.

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel| Read by Sneha Mathan
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Hachette Audio | 11.5 hrs.]

Sneha Mathan gives a dramatic performance of this story about Ganga, the Hindu mythological goddess of the river. Mathan’s resonant voice adds emotional depth to her portrayal of Ganga, who experiences mortality before she is transformed back into a goddess who is unable to shed her bonds with the human experience—or the mortal son she has been forced to leave behind. This reimagined rendition of the legend offers listeners a divine immersion into the world of mythology, enhanced by Mathan’s hypnotic storytelling.

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor| Read by Dyfrig Morris, Gabrielle Glaister, Gwyneth Keyworth, Jot Davies, Nick Griffiths
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Random House Audio | 3.75 hrs.]

Gwyneth Keyworth’s nuanced portrayal of Manod reveals the eighteen-year-old’s transformative journey in this haunting story, set in 1938. Keyworth smoothly transports listeners to an isolated Welsh island and evokes the poignant interactions between Manod, a local, and the English couple, both ethnologists, who arrive to study the villagers’ traditional ways. Dyfrig Morris, Gabrielle Glaister, Jot Davies, and Nick Griffiths add to the novel’s ambiance with evocative renditions of folklore and historical narratives.

Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction by Ann Leckie| Read by Adjoa Andoh
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Hachette Audio | 15.25 hrs.]

Adjoa Andoh narrates a short story collection by Ann Leckie that includes eighteen works set in the worlds of the Imperial Radch and the Raven Tower, as well as several stand-alone pieces. Andoh’s stellar skills are on display in every piece, making the stories of gods, humans, and other assorted beings incredibly compelling. Standouts include “The Sad History of the Tearless Onion,” in which Andoh unleashes her dry wit on a very funny story and “The Unknown God,” in which Andoh gives a remarkable turn as a frog.

 *

MAY NONFICTION

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench, Brendan O’Hea| Read by Barbara Flynn, Brendan O’Hea, Judi Dench
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Macmillan Audio | 12 hrs.]

In Q&A format, actor Brendan O’Hea asks intriguing questions of world-famous actor/director Judi Dench. The result is absolutely delicious. O’Hea recorded four years of interviews with Dench, but due to her failing eyesight, the audiobook is co-narrated by Barbara Flynn. In a remarkable performance, Flynn laughs, jokes, and calls O’Hea to task when he’s wrong. Each chapter thoroughly explores a play and Dench’s role in it. Her wit and impish nature will have listeners in stitches. Informative, educational and altogether brilliant listening!

Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture by Tricia Romano| Read by Johnny Heller, Jo Anna Perrin
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Dreamscape | 16.75 hrs.]

Johnny Heller and Jo Anna Perrin successfully navigate the challenge of narrating an extensive oral history, creating a fascinating journey through the evolution and demise of The Village Voice. Many of the contributors quoted will be known to fans, but Heller and Perrin avoid imitating anyone. Both take the approach that less is more, performing the many voices consistently with subtle touches and embracing natural rhythms of speech and dialogue. The result is a moving history of powerful writing that captures the soul of the times.

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie| Read by Salman Rushdie
[Random House Audio | 6.5 hrs.]

Salman Rushdie offers an emotionally resonant account of the shocking knife attack that almost ended his life in 2022 in Chautauqua, New York. In a measured tone, Rushdie describes the events of that day, and reflects on his long and often frustrating recovery. Interwoven throughout are musings on literature, writing, politics, friendship, and religion, delivered with passion and more than a little humor. Wide-ranging and deeply insightful, this meditation on life, love, and resilience makes for compelling listening.

Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal| Read by Carolina Hoyos
[Random House Audio | 21.5 hrs.]

This history of American Indigenous people sounds like a well-constructed college lecture—no surprise since author Kathleen DuVal is a university professor. But Carolina Hoyos’s narration is far from a dry academic recitation. Rather, she comes across as a storyteller, and her voice is smooth and easy to listen to. Native people haven’t disappeared; they’ve been written out of U.S. history. This work does a good job of writing them back into the American historical narrative.

Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit by Robin Bernstein| Read by Shamaan Casey
[Brilliance Audio | 8 hrs.]

Shamaan Casey brings a deep, captivating voice to his stellar performance of this recounting of one of America’s first prisons for profit. The story includes the 1846 murders that resulted from its operators’ greed and brutality. Casey is expressive—even his chapter headers have a character of their own—without being particularly emotional. His narration is so strong because of the diversity of his tones and emphases. Listeners won’t be disappointed.