Episodes

The True Story of Two Friends & One Diagnosis

By: Mara Altman, Kat Alexander

Narrated by: Mara Altman, Kat Alexander

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

In Episodes, lifelong best friends Kat and Mara take listeners on an unfiltered journey through friendship, mental illness, and survival. Kat, a successful professional, is preparing for marriage and motherhood. On her fourth round of IVF, it happened—a frantic call to Mara. Mara comes over to find Kat, her friend of 25 years—the one who'd always been levelheaded, hilarious, and over-the-top thoughtful—trying to jump through a window.

The unexpected Bipolar diagnosis sends Kat’s life into a tailspin, leading to frantic 9-1-1 calls, cycling in and out of hospitals, crashed cars, emptied bank accounts, and, eventually, a desperate search and rescue mission in Mexico, where Kat goes missing.

Told through their own voices, Episodes captures the profound intimacy and tension of a friendship tested by crisis. Using real-time audio to immerse listeners in their heart-wrenching saga, Episodes takes us deep into the taboo of losing one's mind and raises universal questions about the boundaries of friendship. In spite of the chaos, Kat and Mara are here to tell their story, together—a testament that not only is healing possible, but that it’s not meant to be done alone.

©2024 Mara Altman and Kat Alexander (P)2024 Audible Originals, LLC.

Just listen!

Wow!! So very well written and executed! This book made me laugh, gasp, cry, get angry, shake my head and sigh. What an exhausting journey for both of these women. They are so lucky to have one another. This is great listen and worth every minute of your time!

Empathy!

2 amazing women with an incredible bond. Empathy saved a life and strengthened a friendship.Unfortunately our healthcare systems has lost empathy

All the feels!

This story on mental illness and an incredible friendship takes you on a wild ride full of twists and turns, pain and growth. I couldn’t stop listening, the story going back and forth between Kat’s world and Mara’s reality added so much suspense. The real life audio clips provided a raw glimpse into Kat’s mind at the time, and I appreciated the humor sprinkled in throughout.

Compelling

Were this in print, it would be a page turner. I was hooked early on. I thought I was educated about mental illness but I learned so much through an amazing story told by friends whose love and respect for each other is enviable. Kudos to the authors and their honest, exceptional delivery.

Eye Opening

This was very different than my usual listens but I found it fascinating. I feel much more educated and thus, empathetic towards those struggling with mental illness. Give this book a listen!

Very good

Very moving. Worth the listen. It’s a story that should be told to advance awareness of mental health and trauma.
With that said, I think there should be less shame on the friends that pulled back. These friends may have triggers of their own.

Excellent

I bought this just by chance and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is a great listen. The story is extremely interesting and the narrators are perfect. I recommend this book especially if you have someone in your family that suffers from mental illness or if you do. It’s eye opening!

Enlightening

I learned a lot about bipolar disorder, the strength of friendship, and loved the way both authors shared the story. Lovely

Just wild

I’ve never heard a story quite like this. At first, I thought it was going to be something else. Then it went places I totally did not see coming. There were times I wanted to laugh, cry, shake my head or pick up the phone and call someone. Life is interesting and complicated, I guess? Strongly recommend listening.

Relatable as someone with bipolar

I resonated so much with Kat and Mara helped me better understand what my family and friends go through and feel. Beautiful story of friendship and love. 10/10