The Swallows - Lisa Lutz Audiobook

Written by Lisa Lutz
Read by Abby Elliott
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Release date: August 13, 2019
Duration: 11:00:21

When Alexandra Witt joins the faculty at Stonebridge Academy, she’s hoping to put a painful past behind her. Then one of her creative writing assignments generates some disturbing responses from students. Before long, Alex is immersed in an investigation of the students atop the school’s social hierarchy—and their connection to something called the Darkroom. She soon inspires the girls who’ve started to question the school’s “boys will be boys” attitude and incites a resistance. But just as the movement is gaining momentum, Alex attracts the attention of an unknown enemy who knows a little too much about her—and what brought her to Stonebridge in the first place.

Meanwhile, Gemma, a defiant senior, has been plotting her attack for years, waiting for the right moment. Shy loner Norman hates his role in the Darkroom, but can’t find the courage to fight back until he makes an unlikely alliance. And then there’s Finn Ford, an English teacher with a shady reputation, who keeps one eye on his literary ambitions and one on Ms. Witt. As the school’s secrets begin to trickle out, a boys-versus-girls skirmish turns into an all-out war, with deeply personal—and potentially fatal—consequences for everyone involved.

Lisa Lutz’s blistering, timely tale of revenge and disruption shows us what can happen when silence wins out over decency for too long—and why the scariest threat of all might be the idea that sooner or later, girls will be girls.

Cast of Narrators:
Abby Elliot as Gemma Russo
Lisa Flanagan as Ms. Witt
Ari Fliakos as Mr. Ford
Michael Crouch as Norman Crowley
and with Johnny Heller reading The Announcements

“The story is told from the perspectives of four characters: teachers Alex Witt (portrayed by Lisa Flanagan) and Finn Ford (Ari Fliakos) and students Gemma (Abby Elliot) and Norman (Michael Crouch). When new teacher Alex discovers that the boys are cajoling girls into (usually) unwanted sexual encounters, she also learns that the faculty–for a variety of reasons–are turning a blind eye. Alex, however, opts to help the girls stop the harassment. The narrators’ performances highlight the emotional reactions of the students and faculty, maintain a sense of foreboding, and create distinctive characterizations. Narrator Johnny Heller also plays a small but memorable role.” …. � AudioFile