Those Who Knew: A Novel
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Those Who Knew: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Idra Novey (Author), Kirsten Potter (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 302 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
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A New York Times Editors' Choice

"Read this now, because everyone you know will be talking about it by early 2019." (Washington Post)

From the award-winning author of Ways to Disappear, a taut, timely story about what a powerful politician thinks he can get away with and the group of misfits who finally bring him down.

On an unnamed island country 10 years after the collapse of a US-supported regime, Lena suspects the powerful senator she was involved with back in her student-activist days is taking advantage of a young woman who's been introducing him at rallies. When the young woman ends up dead, Lena revisits her own fraught history with the senator and the violent incident that ended their relationship.

Why didn't Lena speak up then, and will her family's support of the former regime still impact her credibility? What if her hunch about this young woman's death is wrong?

What follows is a riveting exploration of the cost of staying silent and the mixed rewards of speaking up in a profoundly divided country. Those Who Knew confirms Novey's place as an essential new voice in American fiction.

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  1. Listening Length
    4 hours and 56 minutes
  2. Author
    Idra Novey
  3. Narrator
    Kirsten Potter
  4. Audible release date
    November 6, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B07JCC4XC6
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 4 hours and 56 minutes
Author Idra Novey
Narrator Kirsten Potter
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 06, 2018
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07JCC4XC6
Best Sellers Rank #286,722 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#684 in Political Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#9,549 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#10,102 in Political Thrillers (Books)

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
302 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

AN
5.0 out of 5 stars Literature Professor -- THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST-READ!
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2019
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I teach literature and have to voraciously read novels for a living. That said, I found Novey's _Those Who Knew_ by far THE BEST novel I read in 2018. Its exquisite style did not strike me as a huge surprise given Novey's solid background in poetry, translation, and, of course, given her success with her previous novel. Her background in poetry has allowed her, once more, to know the exact right word for each moment. She writes like a natural born story-teller and does not let you lay down her page-turner even for a single second. Just like her previous novel, _Ways to Disappear_ (which I have also taught and highly recommend), she has achieved a hard-to-mimic language, and has managed to merge, and to strike a rare balance between, the playful and the sublime. I am going to teach this book in one of my courses next year, and have already purchased a few copies as gifts for my friends. You should read this novel too, and give it as a gift to your best friends! It's worth your time! HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST-READ!
10 people found this helpful
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L. G. Ruch
4.0 out of 5 stars quirky but intriguing
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018
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this is a really unusual story told in an unusual fashion, via unusual voices. While the location is never named, we can make intelligent guesses about the type of place it is, where it might be located--and the experiences ring true. I especially enjoyed how certain resolutions were left vague and yet, very clear.
11 people found this helpful
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Tiffany Fraley
3.0 out of 5 stars Disjointed
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2019
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Interesting story and creative way to explain Freddy and Victor’s past through his play, but I found myself more confused about the female characters as I read and then the book just ends. Disappointed.
One person found this helpful
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"rockrap"
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about the fork in the road the world is approaching rapidly
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018
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This is a note I sent recently to the author, the ultra-talented Idra Novey.

Years ago I interviewed Jackson Browne for a film I produced. The thing he said that has stuck with me is this: "When I release a song only half of it, if that, still belongs to me. The rest of it belongs to the listener and they interpret it and make use of it however they see fit."

I think this applies to books too, especially fiction. I see in reviews and interviews how your book reflects the moment we are in and I would agree with that. But I see this moment as a last gasp coming at the end of the entire post-war era. Decades and decades of corruption, yes, but I think there is something more fundamental going on.

I come out of the Ohio steel mills (I saw you mention Steubenville; been there many times). I was a minor union functionary and I was also on the board of the local Urban League. In both of those cases, I didn't see overt corruption, the buying of favors. What I did see was a very heavy-handed and rigidly enforced insistence on limits. Don't ask for anything except a penny more than what's offered. Defer your dreams. What you want is impossible so shut up. I knew many, many Victors, petty self-seekers who locked us all out of meaningful participation in anything.

The crumbs which bought our silence, our acquiescence, have been permanently withdrawn. Something new and scary is on the horizon but hidden by all the noise is something transformative in the other direction, possible now in part because the Victors of the world are losing their hold on us. That is what that last page said to me.

As for your writing per se (a false separation if there ever was one), I love the way you balance such a cast of characters and weave connections between them.
24 people found this helpful
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sue c.
4.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing but flawed
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2019
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I found the story and the writing style compelling enough to get through quite quickly. It's true that some things were left hanging, but I felt that as a reader, I was given enough information to infer and that it didn't and shouldn't have been spelled out.

The author has great promise. My only criticism is that it was a bit heavy-handed in the portrait of the characters -- almost stereotypes.
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Emily Biegel
3.0 out of 5 stars Disconnected
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2019
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I never really felt connected to the characters. Maybe because all of the plot lines were so sad and uncomfortable I kept it all at an arms length. I am eager to discuss with my book club and hear their impressions.
2 people found this helpful
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Deierdre L. Weir
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2019
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It was not an easy or enjoyable read. It ended horribly. The characters were not well portrayed and were somewhat stereotypical. I would not have finished the book were it not a book club selection.
2 people found this helpful
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Tony
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written modern parable folded into a political mystery
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2019
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Set on a fictional island nation, this evocative novel unfolds through the eyes of 5 diverse characters, including a power-hungry Senator, his well-connected wife, his playwright brother, a lesbian bookstore radical, and the Senator’s former college girlfriend, who suspects him of foul play. The book lets you inside each person’s head as they grapple with (or benefit from) living under a corrupt and broken political regime. Various power dynamics shape the storyline, especially the male abuse of power over women or anyone perceived as weaker. The story takes some unpredictable twists and turns, and grabs your attention from the start with its taut writing and the mysterious death of a young college student. Highly recommended follow-up to the author’s entertaining first novel, Ways to Disappear.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Candice S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Remarkable
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2019
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I absolutely LOVED this book and was so incredibly glad one of my book clubs chose this as their January pick. This book is completely ideal if you are looking for fuel to light an intense debate between readers.

I 100% appreciate the remarkable unique structure and voice behind this book. Idra Novey has a very specific voice and this book is still echoing through my head. The work done to create very ambiguous, complex characters is second to none in this particular story. I don't think there was one single character who didn't have a very realistic mix of good and bad to them, and that made all the characters very real (and in some cases, relatable) to me. I ended up in lengthy debates about many of the characters, but most certainly Lena and Victor who were very much living in the grey area in my opinion.

I also loved how absolutely relevant this story is in the current political and #metoo climate. This story resonates as it feels like something that we are seeing happen over and over again in the media, and I appreciated so much how this story stayed true to the messiness of real life, and didn't offer quick easy solutions to problems, or Hollywood endings.

While there were bits and pieces to this story that I wish had been wrapped up slightly better (the ghost of Maria P. for one), those are small and immaterial to how much I enjoyed this particular book overall. One that won't be for every reader, but that is going to be one of my favorite books of the year without doubt.
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