For anyone in search of a relatable listen about growing older, Hey Harry, Hey Matilda is exactly what the audiobook doctor ordered. This audio is a fun tale that will make you want to call up a family member to discuss as soon as you put your headphones down.
Follow fraternal twins Harry and Matilda Goodman through a series of emails that document a year in their lives. They tell each other everything—from the mundane, like marveling over the fact that the postage service will deliver a letter for as little as forty cents, to the important, like their love lives—and yet there’s so much they don’t discuss. But after Matilda brings her boyfriend home for Thanksgiving, and Harry makes a desperate move to save his career, both twins are forced to look at what makes up family and to examine who they really are.
Having two narrators makes this experience all the more personal, and Ari Fliakos and Kristen Sieh do a wonderful job. Whether they’re narrating longer segments or bouncing off one another in quick snippets that feel like real conversation instead of emails, Fliakos and Sieh give the impression that you’re truly listening to two family members converse with one another.
Hey Harry, Hey Matilda is a touching story about dealing with one’s family despite its issues. The family’s issues feel real enough that listening to the audiobook feels like listening in on gossip over a garden hedge, or listening in on someone else’s family conversation. Despite being a short listen, this audio will stay with you for quite some time.
Listen to an excerpt from Hey Harry, Hey Matilda, read by Ari Fliakos and Kristen Sieh: HEY HARRY, HEY MATILDA