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The Things That Keep Us Here: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,513 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
How far would you go to protect your family? Ann Brooks never thought she’d have to answer that question. Then she found her limits tested by a crisis no one could prevent. Now, as her neighborhood descends into panic, she must make tough choices to protect everyone she loves from a threat she cannot even see. In this chillingly urgent novel, Carla Buckley confronts us with the terrifying decisions we are forced to make when ordinary life changes overnight. A year ago, Ann and Peter Brooks were just another unhappily married couple trying–and failing–to keep their relationship together while they raised two young daughters. Now the world around them is about to be shaken as Peter, a university researcher, comes to a startling realization: A virulent pandemic has made the terrible leap across the ocean to America’s heartland. And it is killing fifty out of every hundred people it touches. As their town goes into lockdown, Peter is forced to return home–with his beautiful graduate assistant. But the Brookses’ safe suburban world is no longer the refuge it once was. Food grows scarce, and neighbor turns against neighbor in grocery stores and at gas pumps. And then a winter storm strikes, and the community is left huddling in the dark. Trapped inside the house she once called home, Ann Brooks must make life-or-death decisions in an environment where opening a door to a neighbor could threaten all the things she holds dear. Carla Buckley’s poignant debut raises important questions to which there are no easy answers, in an emotionally riveting tale of one family facing unimaginable stress.
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"A gripping and unputdownable novel which kept me up until the early hours and nearly made me late for work. It's the story of a family in an ordinary American suburban neighbourhood struggling to survive a pandemic of bird flu and the accompanying breakdown of civilisation in which everything we take for granted disappears. Not only is it gripping, it's scary too as the possibility of fiction like this becoming reality is all too believable. It made me want to go out to the supermarket and start stockpiling tinned goods and bottles of water!"
— Helen (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A 2011 International Thriller Writers Award Nominee for Best First Novel
The Things That Keep Us Here Listener Reviews
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" This was the author's first book....I'll definitely be looking for her second! "
— Arlene, 2/17/2014 -
" Excellent Book. I thought the author wrote with such clarity, I felt I was involved in each scene with this family. A thought provoking, frightening read. It made me want to go stock up on water, food and a generator, plus a few guns. This story brought to mind once again that society is really a pandemic away from a total breakdown to our systems. If you like books that scare the crap out of you with the possibilities of what could happen to our world when systems fail--you'll love this suspenseful, informative read. And I did. "
— Terri, 2/10/2014 -
" I loved this book...scary though. "
— Erica, 12/28/2013 -
" All the disasters that could possibly befall a family wrapped up in a neat book. But some it could happen so be prepared! "
— Peg, 12/19/2013 -
" I read this in one evening .... scared the heck out of me , yet I couldn't put it down ....made me wanna run out and stock up ... "
— Laura, 5/7/2013 -
" I'm a sucker for a good pandemic story, and that's exactly what this was. Made me want to stockpile some cash, buy a shotgun, and make sure the generator still works....just in case.... "
— Allison, 2/5/2013 -
" fun, gripping "
— Frances, 10/31/2012 -
" Well, easy to read and the story is one which you can really relate to. The couple has a story which unfolds as you read. Bottom line: love the people you love. "
— Pascual, 8/6/2012 -
" I read this on Mimi Smartypants recommendation. It was engrossing, but nothing earth shattering. Freaked me out though. "
— Sara, 7/16/2012 -
" Great -could really happen- book.. "
— Kristi, 3/3/2012 -
" Could not put it down!! So good. "
— Molly, 1/1/2012 -
" Oh, I really liked this one. "
— Elizabeth, 11/10/2011 -
" Good. An interesting story. It reminds you that things like this can happen, how to be resilient and how to communicate with others in crisis. "
— Elaine, 10/22/2011 -
" This was a good enough read, I would describe it as chick lit. The plot is great--a pandemic! The main character is a divorced mother who does her best to keep things going. I won't go into it too much, but everyone is dying and society becomes increasingly lawless. "
— Ruth, 6/28/2011 -
" I thought it was slow at first, but toward the end, I couldn't put it down. The story was good and made me wonder if all that happened in the book could happen in real life...scary thought!!! "
— Cheryl, 6/27/2011 -
" This book details the personal experience of a family and community caught in a modern flu pandemic. Wonderful, realistic read by a local author. "
— Aaron, 6/24/2011 -
" I found this book to be very thought provoking. It makes your wheels spin about what you would have to do to get your family to survive a pandemic. I have added buying a generator and stock piling rations to my very soon to do list! "
— Kathy, 6/14/2011 -
" I really enjoyed this book. It turned out to be far different than I expected. The basic premise is that there is a flu pandemic and everyone goes into basic survival mode. It made me really think. THe plot does not go like expected. "
— Jessica, 6/9/2011 -
" A page turner, for sure! I was left with the awful realization that all this could really happen, and pretty much once did. I loved the ending - full of hope. "
— Adri, 6/7/2011 -
" Definitely an eye-opening novel. Enjoyed the read. It brings to mind the question, how far will a mother go to protect her children? "
— Amy, 5/21/2011 -
" Keep me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down. "
— Lauren, 5/16/2011 -
" A haunting story. Makes me want to go do some serious shopping and have my house fully stocked! "
— Michelle, 5/9/2011 -
" the entire time I was reading this <br/>I kept thinking *omg...this could really happen!* <br/> "
— Marshawc, 5/6/2011
About Carla Buckley
Carla Buckley has worked in a variety of jobs, including a stint as an assistant press secretary for a US senator, an analyst with the Smithsonian Institution, and a technical writer for a defense contractor. She currently lives in Ohio with her husband and children.
About the Narrators
Kimberly Farr is an actress and winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration. She has appeared on Broadway and at the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Roundabout Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons, and the American Place. She created the role of “Eve” in Arthur Miller’s first and only musical, Up from Paradise, which was directed by the author. She appeared with Vanessa Redgrave in the Broadway production of The Lady from the Sea and has acted in regional theaters across the country, including a performance in the original production of The 1940’s Radio Hour at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage.
Abby Craden has been a professional actress and voice artist for over sixteen years and can be heard in numerous television and radio commercials, video games, and audiobooks. She has twice won the AudioFile Earphones Award.