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The Smaller Evil Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Sometimes the greater good requires the smaller evil.
17-year-old Arman Dukoff can't remember life without anxiety and chronic illness when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He’s taken a huge risk—and two-thousand dollars from his meth-head stepfather—for a chance to "evolve," as Beau, the retreat leader, says.
Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels—worthless.
The retreat compound is secluded in coastal California mountains among towering redwoods, and when the iron gates close behind him, Arman believes for a moment that he can get better. But the program is a blur of jargon, bizarre rituals, and incomprehensible encounters with a beautiful girl. Arman is certain he's failing everything. But Beau disagrees; he thinks Arman has a bright future—though he never says at what.
And then, in an instant Arman can't believe or totally recall, Beau is gone. Suicide? Or murder? Arman was the only witness and now the compound is getting tense. And maybe dangerous.
As the mysteries and paradoxes multiply and the hints become accusations, Arman must rely on the person he's always trusted the least: himself.
From the Hardcover edition.
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“Ryan Gesell narrates the story of seventeen-year-old Arman…[and] expresses the boy’s terrible self-loathing in a way that’s painful to hear. Just when Gesell’s heartrending narration becomes unbearable, the story shifts…Gesell’s narration marks Arman’s growing strength as he fights to overcome suspicion and conspiracies. Mark Bramhall narrates interspersed bits that give the views of an unnamed character. Bramhall’s voice is deep and detached. His authoritative philosophical comments are juxtaposed with the psychological twists, fast pacing, and immediacy that Gesell so skillfully delivers.”
— AudioFile
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“Suspenseful and enigmatic…kept me guessing till the very last page.”
— Laura Ruby, Michael L. Printz Award winning author -
“Kuehn’s specialty in depicting mental illness and her sharp, quick writing are on display in her latest novel, but it is her satirical integration of New Age hippie rituals with the pseudoscientific jargon of the self-help retreat world that is the most compelling addition.”
— School Library Journal -
“Balancing Arman’s experience with Beau’s inner thoughts, Kuehn elevates the religious cult novel with this sophisticated psychological mystery…The book’s philosophical undertones and uncertain ending are transfixing.”
— Publishers Weekly
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About Stephanie Kuehn
Stephanie Kuehn holds degrees in linguistics and sport psychology, as well as a doctorate in clinical psychology. Her debut young adult novel, Charm & Strange, was the winner of the 2014 William C. Morris Debut YA Award.
About the Narrators
Mark Bramhall has won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, more than thirty AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has repeatedly been named by AudioFile magazine and Publishers Weekly among their “Best Voices of the Year.” He is also an award-winning actor whose acting credits include off-Broadway, regional, and many Los Angeles venues as well as television, animation, and feature films. He has taught and directed at the American Academy of Dramatic Art.
Ryan Gesell is a film, television, and voice actor, as well as an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. His film credits include Crossing Over and A Perfect Getaway, and his television appearances include The Shield, Prison Break, Seventh Heaven, Passions, Boy Meets World, and numerous others. He has also appeared in a number of commercials and public service announcements, as well as Internet shorts and webisodes.