The Choice

By: Gillian McAllister

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan

From the author of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick Wrong Place, Wrong Time, comes a captivating, ingenious novel about a woman who must make an impossible decision....

“A Sliding Doors thriller with a moral dilemma at its heart. Brilliant.”—Claire Douglas, author of Last Seen Alive

It's the end of a night out and Joanna is walking home alone. Then she hears the sound every woman dreads: footsteps behind her, getting faster. She's sure it's him—the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. So Joanna makes a snap decision. She turns, she pushes. Her pursuer tumbles down the steps and lies motionless, facedown on the ground. Now what?

Addictive and compelling, The Choice follows the two paths Joanna's future might take, depending on the choice she makes. If she calls the police right away, she can save the man's life. Yet doing so puts her own innocence at risk, as she waits for judgment on a charge of assault and the hope that her husband and everyone she loves will stand by her. But if she runs and goes home as if nothing has happened, no one will ever know. No one saw her do it, and it's only up to Joanna to keep quiet...forever.

“Almost unbearably tense.”—The New York Times Book Review

©2020 Gillian McAllister (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Summer Reading Picks

“The Choice, Gillian McAllister’s almost unbearably tense novel, divides its narrative into alternative stories, ‘Sliding Doors’-style, playing out two possible futures in one person’s life. It’s such a fascinating thought, how a moment can change everything….The Choice is less a conventional thriller than a morality tale, a granular exploration of secrecy and guilt—how they corrode, how they poison a psyche—in the manner of Crime and Punishment or The Tell-Tale Heart.”–The New York Times Book Review

“[A] moral thought-provoker. [The Choice] seeks to give readers that glimpse of how differently a life can unfold based on one simple action (or inaction).”–Self

"The suspense of each story line is compelling in this well-written novel, but the weightier value of The Choice is in author Gillian McAllister's probing questions about morality and responsibility, questions which—like most things related to human nature—have no easy answers.”—Mystery Scene

A solid B+ and stressfully addictive

The Choice inevitably didn't disappoint, but I was eager to finish it. There's a somewhat grueling ascent to the storylines' (yes, plural) climax, but the much quicker descent to the end was satisfying. It's technically crime fiction, but psychologically gripping — not a thriller or suspense, but it has hooks.

For the most part, you know what's going on at all times, you just have no idea where it's going. The lead character has immature habits, but is also endearing and painfully relatable. Her character development and trajectory through a barrage of traumas is bittersweet. Still, I rooted for her. However, there are a number of peripheral details that seems completely unbelievable or unlikely, but it's fiction — and, fiction is fictional.

An hour or two in, I bumped up the narration speed to 1.3x ... I was pot committed to the book, but really needed to get to the end. When I returned to 1.0x it sounded like dramatic slow-mo ... the narrator has a very lovely voice, but her style is sloooooow. Usually I'd appreciate that, but not for this book lol.

I had just listened to Wrong Place, Wrong time by Gillian McAllister, which set an extremely high bar — IMO, that book was A++ and probably the only reason I gave The Choice a chance, but glad I did. However, if you've not read / listened to "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" skip this book and find that one.

Brilliant beyond expectations

Gillian McAllister has incredible talent! My new favorite, having just finished Wrong Place Wrong Time, and that also rocking my world.

A big accolades to Katharine Lee McEwan for the beautiful narration. I’m American and have been silently thinking all my thoughts in your beautiful voice and accent lately. :)

I spent the last few days riveted to this audio book; moved by the prose so much I jotted down lovely phrases. And in more embarrassing moments, I stayed up too late listening, and sobbed out loud, thinking of being in her shoes; playing out these stories. Thank you for such beautiful work, Gillian. Loved it. Hope you see this.

Loved it

The story captivated me from the first chapter and I enjoyed the narrator very much.

Mixed feelings

The narrator annoyed me so much I almost didn’t finish. What a stupid, careless woman. Instead of paying attention to her life she spends most of her moments imagining what other people’s lives may be like, even in the worst moments of disaster. I kept listening only because (I think) I wanted to see her get caught and have some sense shaken into her silly little head. But there was some redemption in seeing the story through. I had enjoyed another of her novels very much and I guess I’ll try another. She does write better than so much that is out there now.

Another good one by this author!

The reader wasn't my favorite. She had a very flat voice work not a lot of reflection, but the story was interesting and made me think, which is what I appreciate from this author. I like how she explores time from a different perspective. One choice can change everything!

Loved This

This is a story about the details of a character’s thoughts and feelings. If the interior of someone’s mind isn’t interesting to you, you won’t like this book. But, if how a character or person thinks and feels, how they sort things through, is interesting to you, I think you’ll like this book.

Fun to conceal or reveal

Makes you think! And really fun. Clever way to tell a story about making a decision at the moment it happens

Unusually well crafted story

Stick with this one even if the protagonist irritates the hell out of you. I couldn’t stand Joanna at first and almost gave up, but curiosity won me over. The characters all grow and change in very human and rewarding ways. The incident that sparks Joanna’s two possible paths changes more lives than hers. This book is well worth the effort.

Not a lot of surprise.

The book drug on and on and on. I found myself frustrated with the main character (which may have been with the author intended), but that along with the fact that it drug on, made it, not as enjoyable for me.

Two Alternate Storylines

I loved this. To explore how others are impacted by the choices we make. Some things are meant to be.