What Abigail Did That Summer, Audio Edition

What Abigail Did That Summer (2021) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Shvorne Marks and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London)

First, this is Abigail’s story. Peter doesn’t make an appearance (although we see Nightingale and hear from Postmartin).

Second, this story jumps back and forth in time, opening with Abigail at a police station, and then jumping back to how she got there. I definitely picked up more the second time around.

Also, I appreciated the footnotes more this time.

He smiles and he’s got this peng(1) smile which lights up his whole face and shows perfect white teeth. You can’t fight a smile like that. You can only hope that its owner has sworn an oath to only use it for good.

1 According to my great niece—“ Handsome, good looking you know— attractive!”

The fact that the were “written” by Postmartin is a delight.

I admit Abigail can be a bit overwhelming, but we slowly–in tiny pieces–learn about her brother, and that explains so very much of Abigail. Plus, it’s only a novella, rather than a longer story.

But mostly I adore the fact that his characters get away from him, and take on lives of their own, as obviously Abigail was supposed to be a passing character in a single book, but then she immediately became more.

You always watch scary movies and laugh at the white girls that go inside when they should be hopping a bus to the next postcode. But, real talk— most of the time you’re not in a film and the music doesn’t go all minor key to clue you in.

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Rating: 8/10

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