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Severance: A Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 2 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
"Narrator Nancy Wu delivers an outstanding performance of this cheeky satirical novel...Listeners will be entertained by the world building; cast of amusing, eccentric characters; and bizarre charm of the aloof heroine." — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner Maybe it’s the end of the world, but not for Candace Chen, a millennial, first-generation American and office drone meandering her way into adulthood in Ling Ma’s offbeat, wryly funny, apocalyptic satire, Severance. Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine. With the recent passing of her Chinese immigrant parents, she’s had her fill of uncertainty. She’s content just to carry on: She goes to work, troubleshoots the teen-targeted Gemstone Bible, watches movies in a Greenpoint basement with her boyfriend. So Candace barely notices when a plague of biblical proportions sweeps New York. Then Shen Fever spreads. Families flee. Companies cease operations. The subways screech to a halt. Her bosses enlist her as part of a dwindling skeleton crew with a big end-date payoff. Soon entirely alone, still unfevered, she photographs the eerie, abandoned city as the anonymous blogger NY Ghost. Candace won’t be able to make it on her own forever, though. Enter a group of survivors, led by the power-hungry IT tech Bob. They’re traveling to a place called the Facility, where, Bob promises, they will have everything they need to start society anew. But Candace is carrying a secret she knows Bob will exploit. Should she escape from her rescuers? A send-up and takedown of the rituals, routines, and missed opportunities of contemporary life, Ling Ma’s Severance is a moving family story, a quirky coming-of-adulthood tale, and a hilarious, deadpan satire. Most important, it’s a heartfelt tribute to the connections that drive us to do more than survive.
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"Narrator Nancy Wu delivers an outstanding performance of this cheeky satirical novel...Wu's narration perfectly fits the story and Candace's sarcastic personality. Listeners will be entertained by the world building; cast of amusing, eccentric characters; and bizarre charm of the aloof heroine."
— AudioFile, Earphones Award Winner
Quotes
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“A satirical spin on the end times.”
— Elle -
“Ma’s writing about the jargon of globalized capitalism has a mix of humor and pathos.”
— New Yorker -
“A zombie novel inside an immigrant story inside a coming-of-age tale…Gripping and original.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Tense and elegant…Severance thrillingly morphs into a novel about self-worth, about the kinds of value we place on our own lives.”
— The Nation -
“Severance is the most gorgeously written novel I’ve read all year.”
— New Republic -
“Candace is great, a wonderful mix of vulnerability, wry humor, and steely strength…Ma also offers lovely meditations on memory and the immigrant experience. Smart, funny, humane, and superbly well-written.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Awards
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An Elle Magazine Pick of Best Books of the Year
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A Southern Living Magazine Pick of Best New Books for Summer
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A Millions.com Pick of Most Anticipated Books of 2018
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A Vulture.com Pick of Best Books of Summer
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A Refinery29 Pick of Best New Books for August
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month selection
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A Literary Hub Pick of Best Debut Novels of the Decade
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A New York Times Notable Book
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A Marie Claire Magazine Pick of Best Fiction of the Year
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A Huffington Post Best Book of the Year selection
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A Chicago Review of Books Pick of Best Books of the Year
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A Vulture.com Pick of Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of the Year
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A BuzzFeed Books Pick of Favorite Books of the Decade
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Among shortlisted titles for NYPL Young Lions Award Finalist, 2019
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Among longlisted titles for Bookish Best Books of the Year, 2018
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Winner of Kirkus Prize Winner, 2018
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Winner of NYPL Young Lions Award Winner, 2019
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Among longlisted titles for NPR Best Book of the Year, 2018
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Among longlisted titles for Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, 2018
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Among longlisted titles for Buzzfeed Best Books of the Year, 2018
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Among shortlisted titles for Locus Awards - Nominee, 2019
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Among shortlisted titles for Kirkus Prize Finalists, 2018
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Among longlisted titles for Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2018
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Among longlisted titles for Goodreads Choice Awards, 2018
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Among longlisted titles for New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, 2018
Severance Listener Reviews
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Aaron Ku, 5/4/2022
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John Atwood, 4/17/2022
About Ling Ma
Ling Ma is an author whose debut novel, Severance, received massive acclaim and won the Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award and was named a best book of the year by numerous publications, as well as being named best debut fiction of the decade by Literary Hub. She received her MFA degree from Cornell University. Prior to graduate school she worked as a journalist and editor.
About Nancy Wu
Nancy Wu has narrated audiobooks since 2004, winning three AudioFile Earphones Awards. A New York theater, television, and film actor, she has recorded in studios all over the world—from Italy to Switzerland to Thailand. Her credits include Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Hope & Faith, All My Children, Made for Each Other, and the Oscar-nominated film Frozen River.