Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Feb 12, 2020
As it turns out, Dodge & Twist is less of an audiobook and more of a radio play. You never really know what you’re going to get from the free monthly Audible Originals… but as it turns out, this one was thrilling and delightful. There’s a full cast, sound effects, and music. If this was a play (is it?) and it was being performed nearby, I’d probably go see it. It was great.
Okay, so, there’s a lot of cliches. It’s not a perfect story. Throughout the story, there were many twists, and although most of them were predictable, I still enjoyed it. The characters and the pacing were all interesting. Even though the entire story is told in dialogue, all the key figures get enough screen time to get a good idea of who they are and why they are that way. If there was a sequel following Betsy’s character, I’d listen to it.
Because of the format, you don’t get a really great sense of setting. Or rather, you wouldn’t if it wasn’t for the background. I think this was a great choice by Audible Studios to create a fully immersive experience for the listener. If I was judging this by normal standards, I’d say the setting was poor as there was only spoken dialogue, but with the production elements added, you don’t need descriptive passages – it’s all there in the background. Really well done.
The only thing I didn’t love was the repeated use of the phrase “I’ll eat my head”. I’m sure there’s a few different ways of expressing that sentiment without the cliche phrase. But, honestly, that was the only thing I didn’t like.
The pacing was perfect and each of the cast members were distinct and did an excellent job. I listened to the book in a single sitting, and wasn’t bored for a moment of it. The whole production was enjoyable. If you’ve got a long car ride coming up and you have a little background on the Dickens classic (Oliver Twist) then you’ll enjoy this. Just a little background, too – I haven’t read that one and I wasn’t lost in the listening. It was the right balance of interesting, endearing, exciting, and familiar.