Nothing I say will probably do this book justice

What an emotional rollercoaster ride and what an outstanding book! I went from laughing to tearing up to gasping in shock.

Abide With Me is partly coming-of-age story and partly crime fiction. Although not a Young Adult book, kids could learn a lot from it. It is advertised as a story of football, friendship, hope and gangsters. But it’s an awful lot more than that. Amongst other things, it is also about family, community, adversity and redemption.

Set in the East End of London in the 1970s and 80s, this is the story of John and Kenny, who live on the same street. It’s a rough place, school is tough, expectations are low, money is tight. But John has a relatively settled family life and, like his Dad, he loves supporting West Ham. Kenny, however, is the odd kid, the overweight boy, the one who gets bullied and hardly ever communicates.

Told entirely in John’s first person perspective, the East End vernacular used throughout may take a little getting used to, and the use of the f-word is pretty standard, but through these means, Ian Ayris creates a flawless representation of the setting and the characters.

Growing up in the seventies and being a devoted football/soccer fan, there was a lot there that automatically resonated with me. But even if you hate sports, the story is so powerful and realistic, you are bound to become fully engaged in these two lads’ lives. I made the mistake of listening while dog walking and failed miserably at trying to not cry at a particularly tragic moment.

Due to the first person narrative and John’s East End street-smart character, this needed a narrator who could really purvey John’s personality convincingly, and, as evidenced by my emotional turmoil throughout the nearly six hours of listening, Karl Jenkinson definitely pulled it off. He doesn’t seem to have narrated many other books yet, which makes his performance even more outstanding. I was particularly impressed by how he managed to express emotions and create suspense simply by small changes in pace and tone. It sounded so genuine, you really felt as if grown-up John was providing you with a retrospective of his life.

Nothing I say will probably do this book justice, but it is one hell of a debut novel, and I hope it’ll receive the widespread attention it deserves. Can’t recommend this highly enough, a perfect audio book!

I am very curious to see what Ian Ayris will come up with next (soon, hopefully).

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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4 people found this helpful

Excellent all round!

Great story and the narrator captures the atmosphere perfectly.

I've had a few long train journeys recently and found myself totally absorbed in this - recommended!

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4 people found this helpful

What A Narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to not only a friend but anyone else looking for an excellent read. The storyline is gripping and the book is enhanced by the narrator.

Have you listened to any of Karl Jenkinson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes and I thoroughly enjoy listening to Karl narrate, he really purveys the characters personality throughout the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes I didn't want to put it down.

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5 people found this helpful

Abide with me

Excellent narration of a story that had all the elements to captivate my imagination.
I will look out for others.

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4 people found this helpful

A good listen to a British book set in East London

If you could sum up Abide with Me in three words, what would they be?

East London, kids, gangsters

What other book might you compare Abide with Me to, and why?

No idea!

Have you listened to any of Karl Jenkinson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I believe this is one of Karl's first, and is a very solid performance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Without giving the game away - what happens to Kenny at the end of a difficult life, is very moving.

Any additional comments?

The first part of the book takes you through the life of a young boy, and it took me a little while to adjust to hearing an older man's voice. However, as the story unfolded, and the coarse language which punctuates the book continued, I think this made a lot of sense, and added to the retrospective feel of the book. Karl's voice was comfortable to listen to, with a wonderful gravelly tone to it.

The story was moving and I was sucked in to discovering more about these two boys lives, always hoping for a better future for them. I was drawn in to an East London of the 60's and 70's.

Highly recommended.

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5 people found this helpful

An anti-climax

An excellent performance from the narrator, however the story fell really short in the end. Took me a while to get really invested in this story though by the time I had it sort of fizzled into nothing, seemed a bit rushed and left me disappointed. I bought this book based on it's connection to football and in the end it felt like it had no real significance. Despite that, I'd recommend giving this a listen. The narration was one of the best I've heard, it really caught my imagination.

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