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Attaboy
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner, Helen Laser
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
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Attaboy
Buy Now for $17.98
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Publisher's Summary
From Sam Tallent, author of the hit indie novel Running the Light, which Marc Maron calls "a beautiful rendering of a dark reality", comes a story about poverty, addiction, and bare-knuckle boxing set in the shadows of the American heartland.
Teenaged Jesse is trapped. Growing up, he had all the potential in the world, but then real life intervened. Now he's got a high school diploma, two perpetually black eyes, and a pill fix he can't shake. By day, when he's not high on pain killers, Jesse is hardening his body; it’s the only thing about his life that he can really control. By night, he’s a god in the makeshift ring under the barnyard flood lights, willing to take on any local tough the Madsen brothers put in front of him. Most of Jesse’s fights don't last more than a minute or two. But as competition in town dries up, the Madsens go looking for better fights and bigger risks - with the chance for bigger payouts. Even as Jesse’s home life is closing in on him, he must find a way to win one more fight.
It's the only chance he's got.
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What listeners say about Attaboy
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-01-27
Worth an hour, I suppose.
A story that seemed to want to cram in as many problems in a hour as possible, whilst being only a bit disturbing in the end. Sympathetic to the characters, but a longer version might have been more rewarding.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cajo
- 2022-01-21
A lot of powerful emotion in a short story
A stark examination of the quest for "a better life". Simply exquisite and highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- adam r.
- 2022-01-12
A Brilliant Short Story
The story & characters are more than realistic. Even in this short edition, the entire lives of its focal characters are understood & felt. As he did in, "Running The Light", Sam Tallent, again brutally romances tragedy.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2021-12-25
Gritty, Moody, Borderline Depressing
This short story from Sam Tallent is a starkly dark discussion of a hopeless teenaged drug addict who underground bareknuckle fights in a desperate attempt to merely sustain existence..
and his daydreaming sleep-with-whoever sister that wants to leave their no-future surroundings.
Do Not read this story expecting an uplifting message or a demonstration of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. What you will get instead is a very well-written circle of light illuminating a dark corner of American existence.. along with strikingly realistic dialogue and mind's-eye vivid descriptions.
'Attaboy' is basically a kick in the gonads with a "There. Life f*cking sucks, don't it?" taunt while you lay gasping in pain on the floor.
Dan Bittner and Helen Laser are fantastic readers - legitimately bringing this viscerally-affecting but admittedly superficial exposition to life. The production standards from Audible Originals are also noteworthy.
This 6.5/10 star story isn't for everyone.. but it's a reasonable download if you can get it for free (as I did). If they ask you for money, however - spend it on something else.
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