“GLOW,” by Amy Kathleen Ryan, book published by St. Martin’s Griffin, audiobook read by Ilyana Kadushin and Matthew Brown, Macmillan Audio, Sept. 28, 2011 (ages 12 and up)
As someone who loves to read physical books, thumbing through the pages at varying rates and dog-earing corners to mark my spot, audiobooks never really appealed to me. They seemed cold and impersonal, like a teacher reading a book aloud in an elementary school class.
Having now experienced “Glow,” written by Amy Kathleen Ryan and read by Ilyana Kadushin and Matthew Brown, I can honestly say I was wrong. There are some definite benefits to having a book read to you, depending where you are.
“Glow” is a dystopian novel that takes place in space. For the children of the Empyrean, space is the only home they’ve ever known. Fifteen-year-old Waverly is one of the eldest children, who are pivotal to the success of the Empyrean’s mission — settling New Earth.
Being one of the eldest comes with great responsibility. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission — it’s what’s expected of her. Kieran, her boyfriend, seems the most likely choice for a husband; he’s handsome and being trained as the future ship captain. They certainly care for one another, but Waverly’s just not sure she’s ready for what everyone thinks is the best thing to do.
When the Empyrean’s sister ship, the New Horizon, comes in contact with the Empyrean, Waverly doesn’t have time to make a choice. Under the guise of a rescue mission, the New Horizon crew boards her ship and escorts all the girls off. Before anyone can stop them, the girls have been whisked away to a home that’s both eerily similar and vastly different.
Waverly and Kieran instantly find themselves leading dangerous missions far from the comfort of each other’s arms. The children, it seems, have been called to save the mission long before the call was expected.
Told from Waverly and Kieran’s points of view, readers/listeners get an up-close view of events on both ships. Voiced by Ilyana Kadushin and Matthew Brown, the tale takes on some of the personality of the talent. Both do an extremely good job of adding tension and other emotions when needed and change the tone of their voices for other characters when they speak.
Ilyana has a smooth calming voice that equally conveys Waverly’s fears and courage. She is easy to listen to, though perhaps sounds a little older than the 15 Waverly is supposed to be.
Matthew, on the other hand, sounds exactly like a squeaky teenage boy; so much so that it’s harder to get past that and listen to the story. He does do a fine job of growing with Kieran and it feels less forced as the story goes on.
Though it took a little while to get used to the voices, it was only a few chapters before I got lost in the story and the characters.
“Glow,” itself came as a bit of a revelation for me. There were twists I wasn’t expecting and religious elements that came when least expected. Author Amy Kathleen Ryan has done an excellent job mixing good and evil, bending and blurring the lines to keep the reader/listener guessing and thinking about what their own responses would be.
I listened to “Glow” while driving to and from work. At about 10 hours, that’s a little more than two week’s of commuting time. If I had read the book, it probably would have taken me a little more than 3 hours to read the some 320 pages. The reading would have been different, too.
There were a few times when I got frustrated, waiting in the parking garage for the end of an intense chapter. While the voice talent worked to draw out the tension, I know I would have been careening through the same section on my own, had I been reading it myself.
The problem is, I couldn’t be reading the book while driving the car. And that’s where I had to remind myself that I wasn’t wasting time, rather I was making better use of it. While listening to “Glow” my commute went smoother; I wasn’t frustrated as much with other drivers and I got to listen to a good story instead of commercials on the radio.
Audiobooks aren’t for everyone. You actually have to pay attention. It can’t be in the background. But there are times when they’re perfect — when working on a mindless project or a time when you just want to sit back and relax.
“Glow” is excellently produced. The quality is superb, and I enjoyed experiencing a new book in a new way. This experience has turned me into an audiobook commuter.
