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The Listeners

Written by: Jordan Tannahill
Narrated by: Deborah Pearson
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Publisher's Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE FINALIST

A propulsive literary story about a family torn apart by a mother’s obsession with a sound that no one else can hear

One night, while lying in bed next to her husband, Claire Devon suddenly hears a low hum. This innocuous sound, which no one else in the house can hear, has no obvious source or medical cause, but it begins to upset the balance of Claire’s life. When she discovers that one of her students can also hear the hum, the two strike up an unlikely and intimate friendship. Finding themselves increasingly isolated from their families and colleagues, they fall in with a disparate group of people who also perceive the sound. What starts out as a kind of neighborhood self-help group gradually transforms into something much more extreme, with far-reaching, devastating consequences.

The Listeners is an electrifying novel that treads the thresholds of faith, conspiracy and mania. Compelling and exhilarating, it forces us to consider how strongly we hold on to what we perceive, and the way different views can tear a family apart.

©2021 Jordan Tannahill (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Giller 2021 Shortlist Author Spotlight: Jordan Tannahill

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What listeners say about The Listeners

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Woke propaganda

Horrible story line. Waste of time. Offensive and extreme lefty. Bad all around. I wish I can get my credit back. So bad I could not make myself finished. I deleted half way reading.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Fabulous narrater

Great story with a phenomenal narrater. I will definitely be searching for more stories by this narrater.

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

Interesting premise but details implausible

This book is well written and expertly narrated. I just couldn't buy into the reactions from family and friends.

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

Nothing notable

Story is okay. Has some really great parts but a lot of dull parts. I wouldn’t recommend it.

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

A novel novel

What a novel novel. The premise was intriguing and delivered.

The story started out half funny, but no joke for the main character, and the plot chugged along at a pace that didn't sacrifice its literary fiction billing: there is plenty of plot-thickening character development and quality writing, but there is constant forward movement.

It touches on some big questions without being heavy handed, and was well steeped in the modern zeitgeist. It also ruminates on how science has destroyed wonder (or at least, doesn't explain everything). Definitely worthy of its Giller shortlisting.

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  • Overall
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Fascinating

A truly engaging and realistic story about feeling isolated and misunderstood as well as an examination into society’s aversion to non-conformity and the dynamics of group psychology. There are many allusions to the issues that currently divide western/northern hemisphere cultures (intellectuals versus “good vibes only” versus conspiracy theory believers).
Definitely recommended.

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An intense, scary, timely ride

Tannahill has captured and distilled so many of the fears of the three or for generations represented in the story. It's a moving and disturbing story that draws us in over our heads, one inch at a time.

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Such a difficult subject...

...handled sensitively and brilliantly, never descending into fantasy nor sentimentality. Both the author and the narrator do justice to a novel that is an important testament to the nature of our time in this place, and they deserve our thanks.

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

A narrative appealing to the auditory senses

The beginning immediately caught my attention. I think that it was a courageous topic to write about.

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