The Diaries of a Doorman

Narrator Graham F. French isn’t just reading this book—he’s performing a one-man show, and he nails it. His voice crackles with the kind of dry, world-weary humor and barely contained rage that Armstrong’s stories demand. French’s Scottish accent lends an extra layer of authenticity, grounding the absurdity in something real, like he’s the mate who’s just recounting his worst shifts over pints. He shifts seamlessly between the gallows humor of a doorman’s life and the quiet, almost melancholic undercurrent of these encounters, making even the most grotesque characters feel three-dimensional. That said, French’s pacing occasionally stumbles when Armstrong’s writing gets too introspective, dragging a few moments into a bit of a slump. The production itself is clean and unobtrusive, letting the stories and the narrator’s performance take center stage, though I did wish for a bit more dynamic range during the livelier scenes to match the energy of the text. Still, this is a rare audiobook where the narration elevates the material rather than just serving it. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve earned your own door-all-access pass—just don’t blame me if you start judging people’s shoes a little more critically afterward.