Murder in "Utopia" cover art

Murder in "Utopia"

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Murder in "Utopia"

By: Bryan Perkins
Narrated by: Julie Hoverson
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $9.99

Buy Now for $9.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

For this novella, my main goal was to produce a work that was at the same time absurdist and decidedly literary. I think I've succeeded in both aspects.

The story takes place almost entirely inside a priest's confessional office. Chapters alternate between a psychiatrist giving her confessions to the priest and the confessions of the very patients mentioned by the psychiatrist in her sessions. Every sentence that is written in the past tense is spoken aloud to the priest or by her, and every sentence that is written in the present tense is one of the priest's thoughts or an action she experiences.

I think you can see why Murder in "Utopia" may be a confusing experience the first time through. There are no quotation marks to set off dialogue; the tense of the writing changes based on whether the words are spoken or experienced; and, to top it all off, no names are mentioned for any of the characters - each is referred to only by his or her occupation or the pronouns her, she, etc.

But fear not, dear listeners. Continue on despite any confusion. Confusion is part of the experience. And by the end, I think you may realize that you've found more clarity than you thought possible in such a jumbled, messy "utopia".

©2015 Bryan Perkins (P)2016 Bryan Perkins
Dystopian Fiction Political Science Fiction Utopian

What listeners say about Murder in "Utopia"

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.