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Fragile: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,901 listener ratings
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A thrilling novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger about the hunt for a missing girl and one community’s intricate yet fragile bonds. “[A] nail-biting nuanced whodunit.”—People Everybody knows everybody in The Hollows, a quaint, charming town outside of New York City. It’s a place where neighbors keep an eye on one another’s kids, where people say hello in the grocery store, and where high school cliques and antics are never quite forgotten. As a child, Maggie found living under the microscope of small-town life stifling. But as a wife and mother, she has happily returned to The Hollows’s insular embrace. As a psychologist, her knowledge of family histories provides powerful insights into her patients’ lives. So when the girlfriend of her teenage son, Rick, disappears, Maggie’s intuitive gift proves useful to the case—and also dangerous. Eerie parallels soon emerge between Charlene’s disappearance and the abduction of another local girl that shook the community years ago when Maggie was a teenager. The investigation has her husband, Jones, the lead detective on the case, acting strangely. Rick, already a brooding teenager, becomes even more withdrawn. In a town where the past is always present, nobody is above suspicion, not even a son in the eyes of his father. As she tries to reassure him that Rick embodies his father in all of the important ways, Maggie realizes this might be exactly what Jones fears most. Determined to uncover the truth, Maggie pursues her own leads into Charlene’s disappearance and exposes a long-buried town secret—one that could destroy everything she holds dear.
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"This book had lots of twists and turns. About small town life and how the people there can be and are interconnected in so many ways, both good and bad. Good mystery with lots of different characters that all grew up and went to high school together. Secrets and lies that can end up coming out. "
— Sally (4 out of 5 stars)
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Folks in a small town descend into darkness and revisit long forgotten memories when a young girl disappears. . . . [A] simmering, tragic tale. Fans of authors like Jodi Picoult will want to read this one in a nice comfortable chair. . . . Unger's fans won't be disappointed.
— Associated Press -
This one is a stunner. . . . Unger’s genius is in plotting the story so that the reader never knows what’s coming next. . . .This is a read that will stay with you.
— New York Journal of Books Review -
Unger skillfully builds suspense by alternating point of view from chapter to chapter. . . . Too many thrillers rely on coincidence or outlandish twists to connect the dots in a crime investigation, but Unger makes that process organic by using the interconnectedness of her characters' lives over the decades—these people really do know each others' secrets. Even apparently unrelated thread—like the chapters about the exterminator called in to trap the raccoons in Elizabeth's attic—are cleverly woven into the plot. Unger is also adept at drawing believable characters and relationships. Much of the emotional weight and considerable tension of Fragile have to do with families, with how parents and their children relate (or don't) and how husbands and wives can think they know everything about each other—and then find themselves surprised.
— St. Petersburg Times -
Page-turning suspense . . . [Fragile] also mines the more intimate territory of family and community dynamics, inspired by the disappearance and murder of one of Unger’s own schoolmates more than two decades ago. . . . In the style of Jodi Picoult, Fragile tells its tale through the real-time action and freighted recollections of a diverse cast of characters living in fictional The Hollows, a small town 100 miles outside New York City with a reputation for quaint charm. In reality, The Hollows is rife with dysfunction, full of ugly memories and buried secrets.
— Boston Globe -
Perfectly balancing the need for independence from one's past and the indelible ties that persist regardless of any attempt otherwise, Unger creates a tale that's full of realistic characters that will remind readers of either someone they know, or perhaps even themselves. And filled with perfectly written passages that are worthy of being read twice also serve to make this read an intense journey that evokes a surprising amount of emotion. . . . Poetic at times, heartbreaking at others, and suspenseful throughout, this is easily the best book of the year and comes with the strongest recommendation we have.
— New Mystery Reader -
Lisa Unger writes psychologically in-depth stories with great characters. The plot is fast-paced and has many twists.
— Daily American -
If you're a fan of Jodi Picoult's family chronicle storytelling, you'll enjoy Fragile, too. It's set in a small affluent town outside New York, where everyone knows someone who kissed the pizza guy once and many have ugly memories and buried secrets. When a teenage girl goes missing, the lives of all who knew her unravel. Unger balances nicely the suspense of her missing person story (a layered one when the vanishing of another teenage girl 30 years earlier is connected) with deeper sentiments. How do you live in the present when the past has broken you?
— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Fragile Listener Reviews
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" Typical Lisa Unger story, easy read. "
— Tfalcone, 2/18/2014 -
" My least favorite of her's, but still really good. "
— Abby, 2/15/2014 -
" Engrossing story about a girl who goes missing in a small town. Interesting relationships between the characters, many of which grew up in this same town and now have teenage children who are friends with the missing girl. The story alternates between the past and the present. "
— Ivy, 2/14/2014 -
" This was a good book, but I personally prefer more twists and turns. I guess because my life has plenty of the kind of drama you just can't make up, i like books that are really beyond what might happen in real life. This book seemed to be something that could have really happened somewhere in a small town. It was a good story though. "
— Robin, 2/12/2014 -
" So much to this story. Really had to pay attention or you could get lost. Quite dreary and depressing. "
— Janet, 1/11/2014 -
" Hate hate hate books that provide a prologue letting you know something terrible will happen or a character will do something awful. Ruined it for me, couldn't finish. Was a pretty major downer right from page one. "
— Karyn, 12/19/2013 -
" an intertwining tail of murder, disappearances and the lives affected by lies and omissions. "
— Andra, 12/4/2013 -
" Nothing spectacular (yet I could not put it down---that is how I am with mysteries, I HAVE to know). Good plot, interesting characters, some disturbing parts. "
— Kelli, 11/28/2013 -
" Loved this book it was a good one!! "
— Darlene, 10/13/2013 -
" Enjoyed this book, and think you develop an affection for the characters. "
— Jenni, 9/4/2013 -
" Great character development and enjoyed the story completely. "
— Brashears, 8/9/2013 -
" A haunting novel that will keep you guessing and wide awake way past midnight. "
— Alexandra, 7/13/2013 -
" This book captures the small town atmosphere well. The mystery was pretty good but seemed to drag on a bit at the very end. I did enjoy the read but I'm not sure that this is a book that will stay with me. "
— Debra, 6/16/2013 -
" A girl was missing, and though she's run away from home, it brought back memories of another girl who'd gone missing a couple decades before and was found murdered. "
— Joyce, 6/9/2013 -
" I thought this book started out as a fairly interesting and engaging novel. Once the "mystery" was solved, the book dragged on for an additional 100 pages, at least. There was just too much- too many characters, too many perspectives, too many sub-stories, too many loose ends to tie up. "
— Annie, 4/17/2013 -
" Great book. I related to the mom and her emotions of letting go of a son who is just growing up, the fear you always have that you did not do or could not do enough to keep your family safe and happy. The plot was interesting and kept me wanting to read the book every chance I got. "
— Christie, 9/26/2012 -
" Extra .5 star for keeping me entertained at the in-laws "
— Jeny, 6/24/2012 -
" Listened to audio version and it was good road trip material--enough to keep you from falling asleep, but not a must-read by any means. "
— Sharlene, 3/20/2012 -
" really good mystery and psychological examination of the ways people's lives intersect. How making choices good/ bad, have ripple effects we sometimes don't realize or understand. Great book to read during a hurricane! "
— Beth, 3/14/2012 -
" Slow start, finish is much better "
— Rhonda, 2/15/2012 -
" I would rate this book a 4.5 if I could. The novel is complex and multilayered with a very satisfying conclusion. It kept me reading well into the wee hours of the morning. "
— Vonda, 12/10/2011 -
" It was good. Had a bit of a twist in the end. "
— Lynne, 9/19/2011 -
" The number of characters/points of view in this book drove me crazy. Many of them were completely unnecessary and barely would have affected the plot at all if they'd been removed. However, I give this one three stars because it did keep me interested enough to read it in two days! "
— Amanda, 9/19/2011 -
" Overall a good book. Starts you thinking of all of your own "what if's" and "if only's". "
— Colleen, 8/13/2011 -
" As a graduate of the New York School for Social Research, Lisa Unger always invests her novels with so much more than mystery! "
— Linda, 6/25/2011 -
" I liked this book and recommend it as entertaining. It reads quickly. "
— Louise, 6/15/2011 -
" This is the first book I have read by Lisa Unger and it was a wonderful story. The characters were full, complicated and oh-so human. I will definitely be looking for more from this author. "
— Jill, 5/27/2011 -
" I really give this 3 1/2 stars. I like some of her other books better. Her writing is good, the story is almost over developed and the ending is too tidy. But I am glad I read it. Entertaining read. "
— Charlotte, 5/24/2011 -
" Unger does such a good job of creating dread in the first thirty or so pages that I know I don't have the energy to read this book. "
— Joanne, 5/23/2011 -
" Lots of twists and turns and everyone seems to be connected in one way or another in this small town. "
— Jennelle, 5/19/2011 -
" Wrapped up a little too neatly at the end. "
— Caroline, 5/9/2011 -
" Loved it, I was hooked from the first page "
— Jenny, 5/3/2011 -
" I really liked this story. It was hard at first to determine which character she was talking about when she would change chapters. Once you firgured that out, the reading got easier. I would give this author another chance. "
— Newett1att.net, 5/2/2011 -
" This book was just what the doctor ordered, after all the long, long books I've read this year. A quick moving plot and every question satisfyingly answered in the end. Perfect! "
— Dorothy, 4/20/2011 -
" I liked this book but found way too many instances of circumstances that were beyond belief. Some of the emotions and motivations just did not ring true to me and took away some of the enjoyment I would have felt reading it. "
— Diane, 4/9/2011 -
" I listened to this book and really liked it a lot. Kept me guessing. "
— Ellen, 4/2/2011 -
" This book stuck with me for awhile after reading. It can be slow, but the ending is worth it! "
— Lauren, 4/1/2011 -
" Nothing too original in the premise, but an engaging read anyway. "
— Lynn, 3/31/2011
About Lisa Unger
Lisa Unger is the author of more than a dozen novels published in twenty-six languages, with millions of readers worldwide. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, amd her work has been voted “Best of the Year” or top picks by Today, People, Entertainment Weekly, Amazon.com, and many others. She has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure magazine.
About Nancy Linari
Nancy Linari is an actress and Eaphones Award–winning narrator. She has appeared on Fringe, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and General Hospital. Her theater credits include I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road, and I’m Not Rappaport.