Neverworld Wake

By: Marisha Pessl

Narrated by: Phoebe Strole

An absorbing psychological thriller in which fears are physical and memories come alive from the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Special Topics in Calamity Physics and Night Film.

"Beautifully creepy."—The New York Times

"You wont be able to stop reading."—Refinery29

"Dark and twisty."—Bustle

Five friends. Only one can survive. Who would you choose?

It's been one year since graduation, and Beatrice Hartley has mixed feelings about joining her friends a weekend reunion. She's right to be worried. After a night out, they narrowly avoid a collision with a car on a deserted road. Or so they believe...

Back at the mansion where they are staying, a mysterious man knocks on the door during a raging storm. He tells them that they must make a choice: one of them will live, and the rest will die. And the decision must be unanimous.

Soon time backbends. Beatrice and her friends are forced to repeat that dreadful day so many times they lose count. With each replay, events twist and fears come alive in horrifying ways.

To escape, they have to vote. But how do you choose who to kill? And then how do you live with yourself? This nightmare, this nothingness . . . this is the Neverworld Wake.

From critically acclaimed, literary sensation, Marisha Pessl, comes a spellbinding story that is "the kind of book you'll tear through and then want to talk about with everyone you know." (Nylon).

©2018 Marisha Pessl (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic reviews

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

"Neverworld Wake is a shape-shifting binge read . . . It's a 'clear your calendar' kind of one-day read."—Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel World

"An altogether eerie, philosophically challenging exploration of the ways in which our actions have consequences . . . the kind of book you'll tear through and then want to talk about with everyone you know immediately after finishing."—Nylon

"The first must-read of beach season."—Town & Country

Well, it's no "Night Film. "

I gave it a try because I was really taken with "Night Film." This one didn't work for me.

Love

There is no other word to describe how I feel about Marisha Pessl’s books. I only wish there were more.

Loved this story!!

So different than anything I have read recently. Unique story with a great life message!!

Addictive

I was late for so many things because I stayed in my car listening, transfixed. I had to know what happened. The truth about people’s true characters ultimately weren’t super shocking, but the journey they took and the Neverworld itself were interesting and suspenseful.

Unique Story

Very unique story and very well told. Not as great as her first two, but still intriguing and entertains.

Haunting, addicting yarn that will keep you up all night

Could press stop. Groundhog Day meets Veronica Mars, intended in the best way possible. A great teen mystery, with a Groundhog Day twist that gives the characters a huge canvass on which to grow and figure out their complicated lives and the complications of life. Don’t be turned off by the YA designation, while this book would be great for teen readers (I imagine devouring this book as a kid again and again), a terrific, meaty and suspenseful tale with Pessl’s unique voice and trademark wit and turn of phrase. It may be PG-13, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable or compelling. Great performance, too, if you can (and should) forgive the narrator’s lamentable genteel southern accent. Get past it, and you’ll be rewarded!

Wonderful, engaging, and thought provoking

Marisha Pessl, business as usual. Everything I wanted and more. Every book she writes asks curious questions, lays out thought provoking observations, and always adds the perfect amount of mystery and intrigue in her genre blending story. Pessl has become a favorite author and she exceeded my expectations with this one. Not as outlandish as Special Topics and not as complex as Night Film, but thoroughly enjoyable with dynamic characters, fascinating plot twists and concepts, and a story about life and death and the relationships within them. The narrator does a wonderful job. Well done all around.

A rare talent

The third novel from Marisha Pessl is as transcendent as her first two. Wonderful. Thankfully the narration is as excellent as the text. Well done to all involved.

Brilliant, bingeable, character-driven excellence

I downloaded this book after falling in love with Pessl’s prose and style in Night Film. I was at first wary of the sci-fI elements in the summary of Neverworld, preferring generally more traditional mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels, but I was happily surprised! Neverworld is a master class in world building and dynamic character development per the closed circle mystery genre, but is also fast paced like a good psychological thriller.

TLDR: Riveting, absolutely would recommend. Kept me entertained during quarantine!

Really good YA novel

The story is compelling and interesting, well written, but has much more of a YA feel than I had expected. I loved Night Film by the same author, and would highly recommend it!