Survival in the Pandemic

I’ll admit I rolled my eyes when I saw *another* pandemic-themed book, but *Survival in the Pandemic* gutted me in ways I didn’t expect. Ahiablame’s writing thrives in the unspoken—the way Louis’s jaw clenches when Adrienne suggests homeschooling, or how Gina’s off-key singing grates on her parents’ frayed nerves. The audiobook’s brevity is both its strength and its one frustration: Clark’s narration is so immersive that I wanted *more* of his nuanced characterizations, especially for Gina, whose childlike voice he renders with eerie authenticity (though her higher pitch occasionally verges on slightly synthetic in a few lines). The production is flawless—no awkward edits or volume spikes—but the real standout is how the sound design subtly amplifies the tension. The absence of a musical score forces you to focus on the ambient details: the hum of a refrigerator, the shuffle of feet on hardwood, the way a deep breath sounds like a surrender. My only critique? The pacing in the first 20 minutes feels *too* deliberate, almost sluggish, as if Ahiablame is overcommitting to the slow-burn approach. But once the couple’s resentment boils over in the grocery store scene (Clark’s delivery of *“We don’t need organic fucking apples, Adrienne”* is a masterclass in restrained fury), the story locks you in and doesn’t let go. This isn’t an audiobook for escapism—it’s a mirror. And like all good mirrors, it shows you the cracks you’d rather ignore.