Girls and Boys by Dennis Kelly

Girls and Boys
by Dennis Kelly [downloadable audio]

This is one of those stories that you don’t even realize what it’s about until at least three quarters of the way in, if not more. I really, honestly didn’t know what the actual “main thrust” of the story was for the longest time. And I didn’t care. I just wanted the story to keep going! It could have ended up not having any final reveal, and I’d have been okay with that. It was captivating from the very start, and all I wanted to do was have my own small part in it–that of the listener. Once I had a tiny inkling of what was going on, I was even more committed. This is one of those audio books that I wasn’t content to just listen to briefly in the car… I took it with me everywhere, devouring every second of it, then wishing it could have gone on longer! There are, I think, three main themes in this story: one focuses on the relationship between a man and a woman, initially burning hot with passion, then ice-cold; the second involves the minutia of day-to-day life as a mother of small children, how things can drive you mad and then fill your heart to bursting within the span of five minutes; the third is the violent tendencies of man (I would say humans, but ultimately, it’s more often than not men who commit violent acts), even in men whom you’d never think capable of such acts.

Carey Mulligan does an amazing job narrating — if at all possible, listen to the audio version of this story! *At this time, Lincoln City Libraries does not have the audio version of this, but the e-book is available on Hoopla.*.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver.] [ Wikipedia page for Dennis Kelly ]

Recommended by Tracy T.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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