Audiobook Sample
Listen to the sample to experience the story.
Please wait while we verify your browser...
- Title: What She Left Behind
- Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman
- Narrator: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 11:56:16
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 27/06/2014
- Publisher: Tantor Media
- Genre: Fiction & Literature, Family Life
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
Ellen Marie Wiseman’s ‘What She Left Behind’ is the kind of story that lingers in your bones long after the final chapter. As someone who’s spent years documenting human stories from Oaxaca to Osaka, I was immediately drawn to this dual narrative that bridges decades through the intimate artifacts of lives interrupted. The novel alternates between 1929, following Clara Cartwright’s unjust institutionalization, and the present day, where troubled teen Izzy Stone uncovers Clara’s story while processing her own mother’s incarceration.
Tavia Gilbert’s narration is nothing short of masterful. She captures Izzy’s modern teenage angst with perfect pitch while embodying Clara’s 1920s cadence with a delicate authenticity that reminded me of those magical storytelling evenings in Oaxaca. Gilbert handles the emotional weight of asylum scenes with particular skill – her portrayal of Clara’s deteriorating conditions made me pull over during a coastal drive, needing to sit with the rawness of the performance.
Wiseman’s research into historical asylum practices shines through, creating a narrative that’s part mystery, part historical exposé. The descriptions of Willard State Hospital’s abandoned belongings – each item a silent witness to stolen lives – evoked visceral memories of my anthropological studies. I found myself thinking about the personal artifacts I’ve encountered in my travels: the worn prayer beads in a Marrakech market, the handwritten recipes in a Lisbon flea market. Like these objects, Clara’s discovered letters become portals to understanding.
The parallel between Izzy’s journey and Clara’s creates a powerful exploration of how we inherit trauma across generations. As someone who’s documented family histories across cultures, I appreciated how Wiseman handles this delicate theme without oversimplification. The asylum sequences are appropriately harrowing, though listeners should be prepared for some graphic historical descriptions of mental health ‘treatments.’
What makes this audiobook exceptional is how Gilbert’s performance enhances Wiseman’s rich character work. She differentiates dozens of characters through subtle vocal shifts – from the cruel asylum attendant’s nasal tones to Izzy’s foster father’s warm baritone. The audio format particularly serves the epistolary elements, making Clara’s discovered letters feel like whispered secrets directly to the listener.
The novel’s pacing benefits from the audio format. Gilbert knows exactly when to linger on a poignant moment and when to propel us forward through the mystery. My only critique is that some of Izzy’s contemporary dialogue occasionally feels anachronistic against Clara’s historical sections, though this may reflect intentional generational contrast.
For listeners who enjoyed ‘The Girls in the Stilt House’ or ‘The Woman They Could Not Silence,’ this offers a similarly compelling look at women fighting against systemic oppression. The family drama elements will resonate with fans of Jodi Picoult, while the historical mystery aspects recall Beatriz Williams’ dual timeline novels.
As I listened during long drives through the Southwest, I kept thinking about how both Clara and Izzy’s stories explore what it means to be labeled ‘crazy’ by society – a theme that’s resonated across cultures I’ve studied. The audiobook’s greatest achievement is making these two women from different centuries feel like companions on my journey, their voices as real as the desert wind outside my window.
As the final chapter faded and I found myself parked at a roadside diner somewhere near Flagstaff, I realized ‘What She Left Behind’ had done what all great stories do – it made the miles disappear while leaving permanent tracks on my heart. If you’re looking for an audiobook that combines historical depth, emotional truth, and narrative mastery, let Tavia Gilbert’s voice guide you through these intertwined lives. Just be prepared to sit in your car long after arriving home, listening to the silence that follows a story well told. Until our next literary adventure – keep listening to the world’s stories, both written and whispered. – Marcus
Marcus Rivera
