Find Me

By: Laura van den Berg

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Joy has no one. She spends her days working the graveyard shift at a grocery store outside Boston and nursing an addiction to cough syrup, an attempt to suppress her troubled past. But when a sickness that begins with memory loss and ends with death sweeps the country, Joy, for the first time in her life, seems to have an advantage: she is immune.

When Joy's immunity gains her admittance to a hospital in rural Kansas, she sees a chance to escape her bleak existence. There she submits to peculiar treatments and follows seemingly arbitrary rules, forming cautious bonds with other patients - including her roommate, whom she turns to in the night for comfort, and twin boys who are digging a secret tunnel.

As winter descends the hospital's fragile order breaks down, and Joy breaks free, embarking on a journey from Kansas to Florida, where she believes she can find her birth mother, the woman who abandoned her as a child. On the road in a devastated America, she encounters mysterious companions, cities turned strange, and one very eerie house.

As Joy closes in on Florida, she must confront her own damaged memory and the secrets she has been keeping from herself.

©2015 Laura van den Berg (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The book's ambiguous conclusion may lead to rereading as the possibility of multiple interpretations is opened."( Library Journal)

Problem with ending

I liked the book ok, but hate books that have no actual ending. Makes you feel like you've wasted your time bc you don't know what happened

Depressing and slow

I struggled to finish this. Not as captivating as I had hoped. Quite the opposite. I was very sad the entire book. There were not many moments that I enjoyed.

loved it....

reminds me of station 11, but it is a good story, keeping me captivated and makes real life seem not-so-bad...good read

Enjoyable listen for unique take . . .

Where does Find Me rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is hard to rank this book with my other books, but I enjoyed the listen and found that the author's use of masks (a common theme in her stories) translates well to the topic of the book.

What other book might you compare Find Me to and why?

I can't necessarily compare the book, but I am sure that there are quite a few books in the post-pandemic genre.

Have you listened to any of Emily Woo Zeller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time. She was good, not perfect, but good.

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

I actually finished it in one day. I started in the morning on a 5 hour drive and finished it on the return trip that evening.

Any additional comments?

I think that listeners have been overly critical of what was a refreshing take on the all-to-common theme of the world-wide outbreak. The character interaction is what I enjoyed the most about the book.

Worst book I ever read!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I could give this book negative stars because this is the most poorly written book I have ever laid my hands on. No wonder it didn't cost much. First and last time I will ever read this author.

Could not follow the story

Story was confusing. Listened to the whole book. Would not recommend. Tried to give it a chance. More confused after finishing the book. Not a good read

Loved it all.

I found this story powerful and emotional. It made me think in new ways. Expect the unexpected.

Terrific literary fiction

Van den Berg defies all the tropes of dystopia novels. Wonderfully felt writing, and a protagonist you won’t want to let go.