Play Audiobook Sample
The Gone Dead: A Novel Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(0.00) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Billie James' inheritance isn't much: a little money and a shack in the Mississippi Delta. The house once belonged to her father, a renowned black poet who died unexpectedly when Billie was four years old. Though Billie was there when the accident happened, she has no memory of that day—and she hasn't been back to the South since.
Thirty years later, Billie returns but her father's home is unnervingly secluded: her only neighbors are the McGees, the family whose history has been entangled with hers since the days of slavery. As Billie encounters the locals, she hears a strange rumor: that she herself went missing on the day her father died. As the mystery intensifies, she finds out that this forgotten piece of her past could put her in danger.
Inventive, gritty, and openhearted, The Gone Dead is an astonishing debut novel about race, justice, and memory that lays bare the long-concealed wounds of a family and a country.
Download and start listening now!
“Populated by a cast of delightfully untrustworthy characters, and told from multiple points of view, Billie’s quest to discover what really happened one night thirty years earlier is propulsive from the outset…A beautiful and devastating portrait of the modern South, this book will linger in the minds of readers.”
— Publishers Weekly
Quotes
-
“The past shadows Billie when she goes back to Mississippi after thirty years to extract the truth from the riddle of her father’s death… A taut, voltaic novel.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“Transports readers to the mucky Mississippi delta, where rising humidity and a few probing questions unearth a long-buried crime…An examination of racial justice and history— and whose versions are accepted as truth.”
— Elle -
“Like Attica Locke’s Houston, Benz’s Delta is portrayed with care and depth.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“[An] extraordinary new novel.”
— Southern Living -
“A powerful look at a region constantly haunted by its past…An excellent novel from an author who writes with real grace and a wisdom beyond her years.”
— NPR -
“The novel is beautifully written throughout, with descriptions of the land, sounds, and even Billie’s dog, Rufus, especially enthralling. Benz’s inclusion of Clifton’s lost work make Billie’s experiences authentic.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“The music of the spoken word shows that Benz has a strong ear and appreciation for Southern culture that rings true.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
-
A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
The Gone Dead Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About Chanelle Benz
Chanelle Benz has published short stories in the American Reader, Fence, and the Cupboard, and on Granta.com, and is the recipient of an O. Henry Prize. She received her MFA at Syracuse University as well as a BFA in acting from Boston University. She is of British-Antiguan descent and currently lives in Houston.
About Bahni Turpin
Bahni Turpin, winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several prestigious Audie Awards for her narrations, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. Publishers Weekly magazine named her Narrator of the Year for 2016. She is an ensemble member of the Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles. She has guest starred in many television series, including NYPD Blue, Law & Order, Six Feet Under, Cold Case, What about Brian, and The Comeback. Film credits include Brokedown Palace, Crossroads, and Daughters of the Dust. She is also a member of the recording cast of The Help, which won numerous awards.