Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Hidden Bodies: (A You Novel)
- Author: Caroline Kepnes
- Narrator: Santino Fontana
- Length: 13:04:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 23/02/2016
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
Let me tell you why listening to “Hidden Bodies” at 2 AM with my noise-canceling headphones nearly gave me cardiac arrest – in the best possible way. As someone who’s analyzed hundreds of audiobook adaptations for my ‘Future of Stories’ podcast, I can confidently say Santino Fontana’s performance of Joe Goldberg is the audio equivalent of a psychological rollercoaster with the safety harness deliberately left unfastened.
“”The Cultural Phenomenon of Unreliable Narration””
Remember when we all collectively lost our minds over the “You” Netflix adaptation? The audiobook experience takes that unsettling intimacy to nuclear levels. Kepnes’ genius lies in weaponizing millennial vernacular – all those ‘likes’ and ‘right?’ qualifiers – to construct the most terrifyingly relatable unreliable narrator since… well, ever. Fontana leans into this with terrifying precision, his vocal fry oscillating between charming barista and potential serial killer so seamlessly you’ll find yourself nodding along before catching yourself.
“”Audio-Specific Storytelling Magic””
What makes this audiobook special (and why I devoted an entire podcast episode to dissecting it) is how Fontana handles Joe’s internal monologue versus his performative social voice. There’s a particular scene at Soho House where the audio mixing subtly shifts to create this claustrophobic effect – you’re literally inside Joe’s deteriorating psyche. It reminded me of my experiment comparing “Project Hail Mary” formats, where certain stories demand to be heard rather than read.
“”The LA of It All””
As a California transplant who’s navigated those same sun-bleached boulevards, I gasped at how perfectly Fontana captures the specific brand of LA artifice. His vocal choices for supporting characters – the upward inflection on every third word, the performative laughter – are so spot-on they should be studied in acting classes. When Joe describes LA as ‘the city of beautiful ghosts,’ Fontana delivers it with just enough wistfulness to make you forget you’re sympathizing with a monster.
“”The BookTok Effect””
Here’s what’s fascinating – the audiobook version has spawned its own bizarre fan culture. My BookTok deep dive revealed hundreds of videos where listeners admit to catching themselves adopting Joe’s speech patterns. There’s something about Fontana’s delivery that makes the horror seductive in ways the text alone doesn’t achieve. It’s the aural equivalent of Kepnes’ razor-sharp social commentary – you’ll laugh at a line before realizing how dark it truly is.
“”Technical Brilliance””
From an audio production standpoint, Simon & Schuster made brilliant choices. The pacing (clocking in at just over 13 hours) mirrors Joe’s escalating mania – early chapters feel leisurely, almost romantic, before the tension screws tighten. There’s a particular chapter transition involving a swimming pool that uses silence more effectively than any jump scare in horror cinema.
“”Who Should Listen?””
If you loved the messy complexity of “Gone Girl”‘s audio experience or the dark humor in “American Psycho”‘s narration, this is your next obsession. But fair warning – this isn’t a casual listen. Kepnes and Fontana demand your full attention, weaponizing the intimacy of audio storytelling to make you complicit in Joe’s crimes. I found myself yelling at my AirPods like they were a horror movie screen – which is exactly what makes this such a triumph of the format.
“”The Verdict””
While the print version lets you control the pace of Joe’s disturbing thoughts, the audiobook removes that safety net. Fontana doesn’t just narrate – he performs psychological warfare. There were moments I had to pause just to remember this wasn’t a confession whispered directly into my ear. That’s the magic of this format – it transforms a thriller into something far more personal and unsettling.
Stay creepy (in the literary sense), Soph
Sophie Bennett
