American Elsewhere

By: Robert Jackson Bennett

Narrated by: Graham Winton

Length: 22 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Some places are too good to be true. Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map. In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things.

After a couple years of hard traveling, ex-cop Mona Bright inherits her long-dead mother's home in Wink, New Mexico. And the closer Mona gets to her mother's past, the more she understands that the people of Wink are very, very different....

From one of our most talented and original new literary voices comes the next great American supernatural novel: a work that explores the dark dimensions of the hometowns and the neighbors we thought we knew.

©2013 Robert Jackson Bennett (P)2013 Recorded Books

magnificent.

this was my first introduction to Robert Jackson Bennett, and now i’m selecting the next. i love urban fantasy, i love humour, i love bent realities, and eldritch horrors. i was extremely impressed with this book. the narrator does a fantastic job of keeping you in the book, engaged, and never even thinking about him. my favourite books have been _the dresden files_, and this is the first time in years that a writer has excited me as much as Jim Butcher.
i wish i could remember which friend recommended this book so i could thank them.

A Lengthy Disappointment

WARNING: Contains a few SPOILERS.

There might be a very good 250-300 page novel somewhere in American Elsewhere but author Robert Jackson Bennett buries it in a book that's over twice that length. At 22 hours, this audiobook ended up being a slog for me. Jackson s-l-o-w-l-y introduces readers to the unusual town of Wink, then tediously reveals the truth behind it's mysteries, truths that any seasoned reader of weird fiction will grasp long before the book comes close to revealing them. When they were finally revealed, I found it hard not to smirk a bit at the combination of Lovecraftian extra-dimenional beings and mommy issues. The whole thing plays out pretty predictably, all things considered, and similar concepts have been handled more efficiently and effectively. There ARE some good moments in American Elsewhere. There was a section in the middle of the book where things really picked up, became original and interesting and got me enthused about listening further. Unfortunately, in the end, I didn't feel that enthusiasm was rewarded.

I give reader Graham Winton an A for effort. His quality performance actually helped me finish the book.

The year's not over but,

American Elsewhere may be the best audiobook I've listened to this year.
I hate reviews that say 'Best Book' etc... But this story was great.
It felt familiar enough for me to enjoy the ride but not so much that it was predictable.

Highly enjoyable experience and a solid 4.5 Stars!

"In Wink it is best to live your life as if you are being watched. Because you probably are."

My first RJB and damn this dude can write. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one and was more than pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The story was paced well, if a little long in spots and the characters had depth and were highly relatable.

I’m having a hard time classifying this one. It had elements of fantasy, sci-fi, horror and mystery/thriller. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a wee worried on more than one occasion that it was going to go full on fantasy/sci-fi on me because that’s not my bag, but luckily it didn’t.

Reminded me a bit at times of Barker, Gaiman, Hill and maybe even a little King. I f’n hate it when authors are compared to King, however, the point I am trying to make is more one of content execution than writing style comparisons. And don’t get me wrong, RJB has his own unique voice and it comes across nicely on the page. There are worse things than to be reminded of those guys while reading too.

I look forward to more from this author. I am very interested in seeing what else he can do.

A highly enjoyable experience and a solid 4.5 Stars.

Very long, but very good

I enjoyed it. I now want to read Bennett's other novels. I highly recommend American Elsewhere.

Interesting premise but way too long

I liked it, the character development was great but I really felt like it could have been just as good if it shaved off several hours.

Body Snatchers

I was a little disappointed in this one. Definitely celebrated its own cleverness a lot. So many "mind blowing plot twists!!!!!" oh my. Stuck with it to the end though, but felt like it dragged in places.

I really enjoyed this book!!!!

Good story flow , like narrative answered all the loose ends just a great story! I recommend this book

Well, I don't know

You know, it was filled with everything I love in a novel: strange happenings, hidden societies, Lovecraftian menace. There as so many things to like about this book but there was really no tension, lots of mystery but for some reason I didn't really care about finding out what or why.
It's probably just me. everyone seems to love it. I'm glad I read it but I would have been fine without it.

Peter Clines' books scratches this itch better for me.

A classic!

Would you listen to American Elsewhere again? Why?

Well, truth be known, it took me awhile to get through this tour de force as I was travelling and i kept stopping and starting. That said, it is a remarkable, stunning book that will stick with me for awhile.

What was one of the most memorable moments of American Elsewhere?

Where do I start? The introduction to Mother, and the scene with Gene Kelly/Mr.First, are stunning.
The last few chapters are deep , complex and wrap up many many concepts, but the entire book is littered with sharply wrtten, and performed, scenes and dialogues.

Have you listened to any of Graham Winton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't recall listening to him in the past, but I may have. Notwithstanding,

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Any scenes involving Mr. First were amazing. The human trash clean up guys stuff was amazing. Hell, the entire book is amazing! Hard to pull out any one moment.

Any additional comments?

This is a stunning book. I can't recommend it enough. It is full on, sometimes over the top, horrific, fantasy, gory, fascinating, complicated, everything but the kitchen sink. An immediate classic.

I urge you to commit your credits and yourself to this shimmering performance, and to pass it along. You will never be the same after listening to it. Remember, things are never quite as they seem.