You Only Call When You're in Trouble

A Novel

By: Stephen McCauley

Narrated by: André Santana

"André Santana's impressive narration deals with one family's contemporary problems...As one crisis bleeds into another, Santana's cool performance and objective distance make this entertaining listening."—AudioFile

“I don’t think I will find a book I love more this year.”—Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author

“Funny, poignant, joyous, explosive, but most of all affirming of our connections to one another. You Only Call When You're in Trouble is a book to cherish. A book that loves you back. What more could you want, my gosh? Read it!”—Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less Is Lost

Is it ever okay to stop caring for others and start living for yourself?

After a lifetime of taking care of his impossible but irresistible sister and his cherished niece, Tom is ready to put himself first. An architect specializing in tiny houses, he finally has an opportunity to build his masterpiece—“his last shot at leaving a footprint on the dying planet.” Assuming, that is, he can stick to his resolution to keep the demands of his needy family at bay.

Naturally, that’s when his phone rings. His niece, Cecily—the real love of Tom’s life, as his boyfriend reminded him when moving out—is embroiled in a Title IX investigation at the college where she teaches that threatens her career and relationship. And after decades of lying, his sister wants him to help her tell Cecily the real identity of her father.

Tom does what he’s always done—answers the call. Thus begins a journey that will change everyone’s life and demonstrate the beauty or dysfunction (or both?) of the ties that bind families together and sometimes strangle them.

Warm, funny, and deeply moving, You Only Call When You’re in Trouble is an unforgettable showcase for Stephen McCauley’s distinctive voice and unique ability to create complex characters that jump out of the book and straight into your heart.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

©2024 Stephen McCauley (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“I read You Only Call When You're in Trouble at a moment when I needed to be around the intelligence and humanity of the novel's characters, and I'm still grateful for being so happily entertained and totally engrossed.”—Francine Prose, author of Blue Angel and The Vixen

“I can’t find the words to say how much I love You Only Call When You’re in Trouble. This perfect novel has profoundly moving observations of human nature, emotional acuity, and brilliant insights wrapped up in warmth and wit. I don’t think I will find a book I love more this year.”—Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author

“Picture F. Scott Fitzgerald with tongue in cheek and you get the gift of Stephen McCauley's You Only Call When You're in Trouble. I loved these deliciously flawed characters and every thought that runs through their heads. As with all things Stephen McCauley, it has the highest of wit and the sharpest of social commentary plus tenderness and much love.”—Elinor Lipman, author of Ms. Demeanor

Narration distracting

The story is fun and compelling and the observations on society fun, too. The narration, however, is really distracting. It’s not just the bad female voices. It’s too much emphasis on every single word of every single sentence. The listener never gets a rest.

A multigenerational exploration of what family means

A beautifully constructed story about the way family shapes our lives and the complex nature of those demands.

A Dull Rendition of an Interesting Story

I’m a great fan of McCauley having read every book of his, some twice, and have given the paperbacks to friends. This is the first audio of one of his books that I have and it was a great disappointment. The narrator couldn’t have been more dull, especially his reading about Tom and voicing that character. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to know this person let alone have a relationship with him. It made the book a real downer so now I’ll try the paperback to see if it’s better with voices in my own head!

Why they chose a male narrator with a woman protagonist I’ll never know.

Meh! Just not a very interesting story line. The characters didn’t evoke much empathy in me. Blah blah blah 😑

Friends and Family Change you

3.5 Stars. Well written story of the people who come and go thru your life and how their impact changes you, subtly. Family does the same, relationships change and sometimes grow and into rewarding connections that aren't just because you're family

We're all a mess, but...

Thoroughly enjoyed. This story had a few moments of outlandishness but there were elements that hit home. We're all a mess, but when we take ownership of our mess sometimes things work out. The backstories resulted in each character making sense at this stage in life. The narrator did a good job of character switching.

Perfect!

This is the book if you need refreshment and immersion in something outside yourself and the world.Beautiful well written and narration as flawless as the work!

Couldn’t put it down

The book captivated me from start to finish, immersing me in the intricately crafted lives of its characters. With a keen exploration of prevalent family issues and the complexities of aging in today's world, it proved to be a true gem. The author skillfully wove humor into the narrative, eliciting genuine belly laughs. Overall, an unforgettable read that I couldn't put down.

Terrible Narrator

The only thing I really dislike about this book is the narrator. Didn’t anyone listen to him while he was recording his narration? Several times he mispronounced the most common words and phrases. The most egregious was pronouncing Jane Eyre’s last name as I-re, not A-re. Unbelievable. His female voices were astounding bad.

I was awaiting for the thing to happen…

Narration was fine, the story was… a bit like spending an afternoon peeking into your neighbors yard only to realize that your neighbors are boring, have boring problems and all that watching added little to no excitement to your day because nothing at all happened.