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I’d Really Prefer Not to Be Here with You, and Other Stories
- Author
- Julianna Baggott
- Narrator
- various
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 28 March 2023
- Run Time
- 9 hours 8 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Short stories, Science fiction, Anthologies: general, Fiction: general and literary, Narrative theme: Interior life
- Rating
- 5.0 (1 review)
What to expect
Bestselling author Julianna Baggott delivers her mind-bending debut short-story collection, featuring an array of genres populated by deeply human characters, and with film rights to the stories already having been sold to Netflix, Paramount, Amblin, Lionsgate, and others!
In the title story, set five minutes in the future where you not only have a credit score but also a dating score, a woman who’s been banished from all dating apps attends a weekly help group with others who have been “banned for life,” and finds herself falling in love. In “Backwards,” a twist on Benjamin Button, a woman reconnects with her estranged father as he de-ages ten years each day they spend together. In “Welcome to Oxhead,” all the parents in a gated community “shut off” when the power goes out. In “Portals,” a small town deals with hope and loss when dozens of portals suddenly open. In “How They Got In,” a grieving family starts to see a murdered girl in all of their old home videos.
This fantastical collection from a unique voice contains a myriad of stories of the weird and wonderful. Julianna Baggott is a talented and clever guide, and I’d Really Prefer Not to Be Here with You will take the reader on a journey unlike anything they’ve experienced.
Critics Review
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“Reading this story collection is like stepping in front of a fun house mirror. At first, you see yourself, your world, and the characters as ordinary. But with one side step, your body slowly distorts into something unexpected, wicked, even silly. But vibrating underneath, somehow, Julianna Baggott’s words ground us with the familiar truths that allow us to see the ordinary as something truly extraordinary.”
Jessica Biel, actress and producer
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“Casually fantastical, beautifully surreal, and packing an unexpected emotional punch, the stories in I’d Really Prefer Not to Be Here with You are clever and subversive and proof that, in the right hands, big ideas can come in small, perfect packages.”
Jonathan Tropper, New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where I Leave You
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“A moving fantastical collection…stacked with feats of imagination.”
Publishers Weekly
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“This book is a treasure chest filled with wild and wondrous tales. A gorgeous and brilliant collection!”
Alexander Weinstein, author of Children of the New World
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“Less laugh-out-loud fun but just as snackable are the short stories in Julianna Baggott’s I’d Really Prefer Not to Be Here With You. They reward more than one reading.”
New Scientist
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“Julianna Baggott has written a timely and compelling collection of short stories covering a variety of speculative fiction themes, many of which are reminiscent of episodes of the dystopian science-fiction show Black Mirror. A bevy of talented narrators deliver the stories…The laudable narrators, with their varied performances, keep the listener engrossed in highly original and thought-provoking stories.”
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User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
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Details
- Author
- Julianna Baggott
- Narrator
- various
- Duration
- 9 hours 8 minutes
- Release Date
- 28 March 2023
- ISBN
- 9798200872503
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Short stories, Science fiction, Anthologies: general, Fiction: general and literary, Narrative theme: Interior life
- Rating
- 5.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 5.0(1 review)
Synopsis
Bestselling author Julianna Baggott delivers her mind-bending debut short-story collection, featuring an array of genres populated by deeply human characters, and with film rights to the stories already having been sold to Netflix, Paramount, Amblin, Lionsgate, and others!In the title story, set five minutes in the future where you not only have a credit score but also a dating score, a woman who’s been banished from all dating apps attends a weekly help group with others who have been “banned for life,” and finds herself falling in love. In “Backwards,” a twist on Benjamin Button, a woman reconnects with her estranged father as he de-ages ten years each day they spend together. In “Welcome to Oxhead,” all the parents in a gated community “shut off” when the power goes out. In “Portals,” a small town deals with hope and loss when dozens of portals suddenly open. In “How They Got In,” a grieving family starts to see a murdered girl in all of their old home videos.This fantastical collection from a unique voice contains a myriad of stories of the weird and wonderful. Julianna Baggott is a talented and clever guide, and I’d Really Prefer Not to Be Here with You will take the reader on a journey unlike anything they’ve experienced.
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