He's Gone

By: Deb Caletti

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Audie Award Finalist, Mystery, 2014

"What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs. Keller?"

The Sunday morning starts like any other, aside from the slight hangover. Dani Keller wakes up on her Seattle houseboat, a headache building behind her eyes from the wine she drank at a party the night before. But on this particular Sunday morning, she's surprised to see that her husband, Ian, is not home. As the hours pass, Dani fills her day with small things. But still, Ian does not return. Irritation shifts to worry, worry slides almost imperceptibly into panic. And then, like a relentless blackness, the terrible realization hits Dani: He's gone.

As the police work methodically through all the logical explanations - he's hurt, he's run off, he's been killed - Dani searches frantically for a clue as to whether Ian is in fact dead or alive. And, slowly, she unpacks their relationship, holding each moment up to the light: from its intense, adulterous beginning, to the grandeur of their new love, to the difficulties of forever. She examines all the sins she can - and cannot - remember.

As the days pass, Dani will plumb the depths of her conscience, turning over and revealing the darkest of her secrets in order to discover the hard truth - about herself, her husband, and their lives together.

©2013 Deb Caletti (P)2013 Tantor

Engrossing.

I really enjoyed this book, but sometimes felt I was being condescended to. Maybe it's because this is a YA fiction writer, and she feels the need to spell it out too much. Still, the atmosphere, with its combination of frustrated, historical longing, along with an undercurrent of "better off without him" was very compelling.

I felt that some characters were well-developed, and others were left without realizing their potential. The mother is good, the best friend is a face-less nonentity, for example.

Slow

This book could have been over after 3 hours. It drug on and on and on.

great book

Would you consider the audio edition of He's Gone to be better than the print version?

No. It does not matter the plot twist and turns were great, whether you read it on your own or do the audio version it was still a great read.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Keeps you guessing. What the bell happen to her husband, your mind goes in all different directions You could never guess until the end.

What about Cassandra Campbell’s performance did you like?

So cool about it at first, but picks up quickly no no answers are to be found.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What not to expect. Even when things are not going so well with your marriage, the imaginable happens and not what you expected.

Any additional comments?

Quick read. Could not put book down. Read in one night. Great book easy read.

Love Hate Relationship

I wanted to both keep reading this book and stop reading it all at the same time. it was very well done and kept you wondering and on the edge. At the same time
because written mostly in the first person, it could get a little tedious after many hours of listening. Anyway it deserves 5 stars and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery.

If you enjoy introspection

I completely agree with reviewers that one has to enjoy a lot of introspection to like this story. Don't read it for a story where the investigation and the resulting answer to where he went are even halfway realistic, this will make you insane. Instead, it's fascinating to see someone look over everything in her life that has brought her into this relationship. Re-examining events, things that were said, her own character, with a stomach-churning change of perspective. Characters and dialogue are fairly well-done. Narration is fine.

Held my attention

While it lacked the twists and turns of Gone Girl, it held my attention and was well done. I would definitely recommend it.
Also, well performed.

Fear stands before truth like an armed guard.

So says Deb Caletti in this introspective psychological thriller. She gives voice to the unspoken thoughts and feelings that lurk deep in your heart.

Too Slow

Had to listen to the whole thing because I wanted to know what happened but way too slow

Took forever to finish!

I literally took over a year with this one. Would start & stop then come back to it. Very redundant I thought & was not the greatest! Sadly disappointing!

Finished it, went back and listened to it again.

If you're single, you need to read this book. If you're thinking of getting married, then you really need to read it. In fact, if you ever think about getting divorced, you need to hear this story. And if you ever should consider marrying a previously-married spouse, then you really really need to read it. In fact, unless you're a nun, you really should read it -- and even if you are a nun, you'd probably still find it fascinating.

I had never heard of the book or the author, but wow -- I lucked out. This a blockbuster, un-put-down-able from the very first page. The premise is so exquisitely simple: Dani wakes up one morning after a party and finds that her husband is not in bed, not in the kitchen, not in the house. Where did he go? That's the whole issue, right there, but because life is so complicated, that's more than enough.

Both Dani and husband Ian had been married before, had cheated with each other, then finally broke away, married and moved to a houseboat in Seattle. There are children involved -- children old enough to know what was going on, but not old enough to be gone from the home. There is the lovable dog Pollux, quite a character by himself. But oy, the complications that arise when a spouse simply disappears...

One thing is for sure, Deb Caletti is not only a very wise woman but an awesomely sensitive observer of human nature. Time after time, I found myself smiling at some observation she made, some quirk of common conduct she mused over, some tidbit of wisdom she revealed. It's not just the story -- it's the writing, too. And the narration? Perfect.

Don't miss this one -- and don't compare it to "Gone Girl", either. I liked 'Gone Girl' -- but this books is ten times better than that one.