The Enemy Beside Me

A Novel

By: Naomi Ragen

Narrated by: Gina Murray

Inspired by true events, Naomi Ragen's The Enemy Beside Me is a powerful, provocative novel about two people fighting for reconciliation over unforgivable crimes of the past.

Taking over from her father and grandfather as the head of the Survivor’s Campaign, an organization whose purpose is to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, Milia Gottstein has dedicated her life to making sure the voices of Holocaust victims will never be silenced. It is an overwhelming and heartbreaking mission that has often usurped her time and energy being a wife to busy surgeon Julius, and a mother and grandmother. But now, just as she is finally ready to pass on her work to others, making time for her personal life, an unexpected phone call suddenly explodes all she thought she knew about her present and her future.

In the midst of this personal turmoil, Milia receives an invitation to be the keynote speaker at a Holocaust conference in Lithuania from Dr. Darius Vidas, the free spirited, rebellious conference head. Despite suspecting his motives—she is, after all, viewed as a ‘public enemy’ in that country for her efforts to have them try war criminals and admit their historic responsibility for annihilating almost their entire Jewish community, including her own family—she nevertheless accepts, having developed a secret agenda of her own. But as Milia and Darius begin their mission, shared experiences profoundly alter their relationship, replacing antagonism and suspicion with a growing intimacy. However, this only ramps up the hostile forces facing them, threatening their families, livelihoods, and reputations, and forcing them into shocking choices that will betray all they have achieved and all that has grown between them.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2023 Naomi Ragen (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Book is fabulous - narrator is so awful!

Naomi Regan writes a powerful story of the atrocities that occurred in Lithuania which I highly recommend. However, the voices used by the narrator when speaking for the various characters were awful and made it hard to listen. So bad they should consider redoing. It really took away from listening.

the great relationship descriptions

the narration wasn't appealing, overdone Jewish voice to me. the story was interesting and relationships done well want to read more by this author

Narrator is horrible

Good story but the narrator is HORRIBLE especially, when she is doing female characters…. I cringed every time. Tried to return it for that reason but was unable

Narrator’s views of characters was offensive and ineffective

The horrible fake voices of characters stands out as the worst narration in any audible book. Should be redone. Narrator makes characters unlikeable and annoying - ruins the book sadly. Should be redone!

Amazing book and phenomenal performance

I could not stop listening to this book…. Must read for anyone especially now when history is at risk of repeating itself

Couldn't finish

I am a dedicated Naomi Ragan fan and stuck it out throughout chapter 27, hoping that this book would gain momentum. I don't know if it was the monotony in the writing or the absolutely atrocious narration (nails on a chalkboard when the narrator attempts the female protagonists Israeli accent) that finally made me throw in the towel. Holocaust literature is important. This is an unfortunate example.