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  • The People We Keep

  • Written by: Allison Larkin
  • Narrated by: Julia Whelan
  • Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (100 ratings)

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The People We Keep cover art

The People We Keep

Written by: Allison Larkin
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
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Publisher's Summary

Book Riot’s Best Books of 2021

“This is a novel of great empathy, about connections and coming-of-age, built families and self-acceptance. It contains heartbreak and redemption, and a plucky, irresistible protagonist.... [A] propulsive, empathetic novel.” (Shelf Awareness)

Little River, New York, 1994: April Sawicki is living in a motorless motorhome that her father won in a poker game. Failing out of school, picking up shifts at a local diner, she’s left fending for herself in a town where she’s never quite felt at home. When she “borrows” her neighbor’s car to perform at an open mic night, she realizes her life could be much bigger than where she came from. After a fight with her dad, April packs her stuff and leaves for good, setting off on a journey to find a life that’s all hers.

Driving without a chosen destination, she stops to rest in Ithaca. Her only plan is to survive, but as she looks for work, she finds a kindred sense of belonging at Cafe Decadence, the local coffee shop. Still, somehow, it doesn’t make sense to her that life could be this easy. The more she falls in love with her friends in Ithaca, the more she can’t shake the feeling that she’ll hurt them the way she’s been hurt. As April moves through the world, meeting people who feel like home, she chronicles her life in the songs she writes and discovers that where she came from doesn’t dictate who she has to be. 

This lyrical, luminous tale “is both a profound love letter to creative resilience and a reminder that sometimes even tragedy can be a kind of blessing” (Caroline Leavitt, New York Times best-selling author).

©2021 Allie Larkin Writes, Ltd. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

What the critics say

"Julia Whelan is wonderful as April Sawicki, a teenager escaping an abusive home through travels, music, and meeting strangers. Whelan's husky timbre and thoughtful tone draw listeners into April's thoughts, which are mostly filled with self-doubt." (AudioFile Magazine)

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What listeners say about The People We Keep

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hooked From the Start

I adore this novel. I was immediately hooked from the beginning, finding the main character both relatable and intriguing. I read this entire book in two days and found great difficulty in putting it down once I started. Highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the characters

Great story where everyone, even the reader, falls in love with April (in a little sister kind of way). It was a sad story at times, but there were also many warm moments. Recommend!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

oh the humanity

My mind wasn't made up whether I would keep listening for the first half hour but then I was hooked...and riveted till the end by April's story. This is not a highly sophisticated, hi falutin read but it is about the best of human nature and I loved it! I originally chose this title based on my fave narrator Julia Whelan and her own praise for this title. Glad I did!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Heartbreaking, yet ultimately wholesome :)

The People We Keep is a harrowing tale of childhood trauma, abandonment, found family, and, ultimately, healing.

I wouldn't call it revolutionary, and it didn't entirely blow my socks off, but I listened to it via audiobook and, as soon as I started it, I kept looking for excuses to be alone with my speakers or headphones, because I wanted to know what happened next. In fact, it lived rent-free in my brain to the point that I couldn't concentrate on reading any other books, so my physical reads went on hold.

I know this story will stay with me for a long time, and I'm very happy to have listened to it narrated by Julia Whelan, who added an extra layer of excellence to the whole experience!

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction, with some romance peppered in. Just know that, despite romantic relationships being a main recurring subject, this is not a romance novel. And you won't always like the romance aspect of it, either.

Trigger warnings: childhood trauma, child abandonment, SA, PTSD, food and home insecurity.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great narration and a good story

It was a smooth read and the narrator is just great. It was my first book of the author and even though sometimes I thought it got slow, overall it was great.

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Good story

It was a good story but I feel maybe for young adult. I could t relate to some of her decisions.

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Loved it!

A lovely story of understanding oneself; how trauma shapes and forces us to cope in life.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story

I fell in love with April from the first chapter. I was really routing for her to find people who care about her.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it :))

Wish she had more like this to listen too. The main character was so honest & relatable and made me cry many times !!

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  • TC
  • 2022-09-08

Wonderful narration, heartbreakingly tender story

I found and read this after I heard Julia Whelan recommend it on a podcast. She makes anything riveting but this story was that all on its own. I cared about all the characters - not just April but those she passed through. She made me care about them. Beautifully told.

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