The Worst of Times

I’ll admit, I approached *The Worst of Times* expecting another saccharine Depression-era tale where pluck triumphs over adversity with tidy ease. Collier and Carroll shattered that assumption. The audiobook’s strength lies in how it refuses to offer easy answers—to Petey’s family or to the listener. Carroll’s narration is the real star here; his portrayal of Petey’s father, a man slowly unraveling under the pressure of unemployment, is devastating in its quiet restraint. There’s one scene where Carroll’s voice catches just slightly on a line about pride, and it’s the most heartbreaking moment in the entire production. That said, the audiobook isn’t without flaws. At times, the pacing feels rushed, particularly in the first act, where key context about the Depression’s broader impact gets glossed over. And while Petey’s perspective is compelling, Collier occasionally misses opportunities to flesh out the side characters—his sister’s arc, for example, feels underdeveloped given how much screen time she gets. Still, these are minor quibbles. The audiobook’s power lies in its refusal to lecture or preach. It trusts its audience—young and old alike—to sit with discomfort, to wonder how they’d survive if hope were a currency in short supply. By the final chapter, you’re not just glad the family makes it; you’re exhausted, grateful, and a little humbled by how close they came to not.