Behind the Mic: On True Story by Kate Reed Petty, Read by Kirsten Sieh, Alexander Cendese, and Cassandra Campbell

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.

Three narrators deliver a tremendous performance of Kate Reed Petty’s remarkable debut novel, True Story, about the long-term reverberations of a high school rumor about sexual assault. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb talk about the multiple voices and points of view. Combining multiple styles—thriller, letters, essays, and memoirs—the bulk of the story is carried by Kristen Sieh as Alice, who spends 15 years trying to figure out what happened to her at a party. Listeners hear Alexander Cendese narrating as a lacrosse player, and one of the boys involved in the incident, and Cassandra Campbell cameos as a college essay editor. Timely, timeless, and riveting, this is an astonishing listen, and an AudioFile Earphones Award winner.

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