"Narrators James Fouhey and Briggon Snow give stellar performances in this quiet YA romance...Both narrators authentically capture the ups and downs of teen romance and keep listeners engaged." -- AudioFile Magazine
Lauren Shippen's The Infinite Noise is a stunning, original debut based on her wildly popular and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions.
Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.”
Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand.
Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.
“What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox on The Bright Sessions)
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"This book is both a great companion to The Bright Sessions podcast - also by Lauren Shippen - and as a stand alone young adult book. Caleb and Adam's budding relationship takes the forefront of the narrative, with the more scifi elements of the podcast popping up in the background every now and then. The exception to this is Caleb's empathy, which adds an additional layer to both characters, rather than distracting from the main story. If you like The Bright Sessions, YA, or a nice slow burn, you will enjoy this book. "
— Cassie (5 out of 5 stars)
“Fans of the podcast will revel in this closer look at the lives of the characters.”
— School Library Journal“The author gives emotions form, texture, and color, taking readers along on Adam’s and Caleb’s journeys while remembering that a boyfriend is not an antidote to life’s supernatural―or mundane―problems…. A warm, satisfying love story with depth.”
— Kirkus Reviews“The Infinite Noise is a marvelous book about love, mental health, and connection.”
— Sarah Gailey, Hugo Award–winning authorCreated by the brilliant Lauren Shippen, The Bright Sessions is probably my number one favorite podcast right now.
— Patricia Thang, Book Riot[The Bright Sessions] combines shades of The X-Files and the HBO psychotherapy drama In Treatment, plus the youthful characters of a WB drama like Roswell or Smallville, into one compulsively listenable tale.... A testament to the simple power of good storytelling.
— Vox“Radio dramas for the podcast age often veer towards either solid writing or engrossing performances. Rare is the show that satisfies on both fronts like The Bright Sessions.... Shippen never loses sight of the impressive character work that drives the show.
— IndieWire“Part Professor X, part Sigmund Freud, Dr. Bright has a specialty: treating 'the strange and unusual....' Start at the beginning and binge away an afternoon on Dr. Bright’s couch.
— WIREDBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Lauren Shippen is a writer and actor with experience in podcasts, film, and books. She is the creator and head writer of The Bright Sessions, a popular science fiction podcast that has won numerous awards and was named one of iTunes’ Best of 2016. She was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Media 2018 and one of MovieMaker Magazine and Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch. Beyond The Bright Sessions, Lauren is co-producing a joint Panoply-BBC fiction podcast with Peabody-winning writer/director John Dryden.
James Dean’s art has been sold in more than ninety galleries and shops across the United States. He has devoted his paintings to Pete the Cat for ten years and has turned his natural love for cats into his life’s work. James published his first adult book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006. He illustrated his first self-published children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008, and the follow-up book, Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, in 2011. James lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, four cats, and one dog.