As any insomniac knows, the world can be a lonely place when you’re the last one awake. Why not download an audiobook for company? The breezy appeal of these mellifluous romances and fantastical adventures can whisk the widest-eyed night owl straight to dreamland.
With echoes of Liane Moriarty and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Holly Gramazio’s THE HUSBANDS (Random House Audio, 10 hours and 30 minutes) takes readers into a dizzying world of fully refundable spouses. Here are the terms and conditions: Lauren, a single Londoner, comes home one day to find a strange man in her flat. His name is Michael and, surprise, they’re married. But just as Lauren begins to wrap her mind around connubial bliss, Michael dashes up to the attic to change a lightbulb and returns … as a new man.
Lauren realizes that any time a guy gets on her nerves, he can be traded for a new one. The catch is, she has no control over who will descend the stairs. One man emerges, naked and insufferable; another is summarily dismissed when she catches a glimpse of unforgivable footwear (shoes with toes). There’s a scary husband, a wealthy husband and a husband who might be the love of Lauren’s life.
Despite high spouse volume, Gramazio manages to make each man memorable and Lauren’s choices meaningful. Miranda Raison’s many accents (especially her American one) are the cherries atop this many-tiered cake.
