Blue Skies

Written by T.C. Boyle

Narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan

Denied a dog, a baby, and even a faithful fiancé, Cat suddenly craves a snake: a glistening,
writhing creature that can be worn like “jewelry, living jewelry” to match her black jeans.
But when the budding social media star promptly loses the young “Burmie” she buys from
a local pet store, she inadvertently sets in motion a chain of increasingly dire and
outrageous events that comes to threaten her very survival.
“Brilliantly imaginative … in a terrifying way” (Annie Proulx), Blue Skies follows in the
tradition of T. C. Boyle’s finest novels, combining high-octane plotting with mordant wit
and shrewd social commentary. Here Boyle, one of the most inventive voices in
contemporary fiction, transports us to water-logged and heat-ravaged coastal America,
where Cat and her hapless, nature-loving family—including her eco-warrior parents, Ottilie
and Frank; her brother, Cooper, an entomologist; and her frat-boy-turned-husband, Todd—
are struggling to adapt to the “new normal,” in which once-in-a-lifetime natural disasters
happen once a week and drinking seems to be the only way to cope.
But there’s more than meets the eye to this compulsive family drama. Lurking beneath the
banal façade of twenty-first-century Californians and Floridians attempting to preserve
normalcy in the face of violent weather perturbations is a caricature of materialist
American society that doubles as a prophetic warning about our planet’s future. From pet
bees and cricket-dependent diets to species die-off and pummeling hurricanes, Blue Skies
deftly explores the often volatile relationships between humans and their habitats, in
which “the only truism seems to be that things always get worse.”
An eco-thriller with teeth, Boyle’s Blue Skies is at once a tragicomic satire and a prescient
novel that captures the absurdity and “inexpressible sadness at the heart of everything.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781705098110

T.C. Boyle

T.C. Boyle is an American novelist and short-story writer. Since the mid-1970s, he has published eighteen novels and twelve collections of short stories. He won the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1988 for his third novel, World’s End, and the Prix Médicis étranger (France) in 1995 for The Tortilla Curtain. His novel Drop City was a finalist for the 2003 National Book Award. Most recently, he has been the recipient of the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, the Henry David Thoreau Prize, and the Jonathan Swift Prize for satire. He is a Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Southern California and lives in Santa Barbara.

Reviews for Blue Skies

[Timo LD · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely stellar!
Lots of people give it bad reviews because it’s an uncomfortable topic. I think that’s the great achievement of this book. It tackles a very real situation without being overly dramatic or pessimistic. Warmly recommended!!

[Karen · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Doomsday predictions cloaked in a “fictional story “. I wondered why I’ve been depressed lately. Duh, this book is the biggest downer.

[pennykaplan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blue Skies is set in the universe of commercial airlines, specifically start ups. Nikki, a pilot, divorced with 2 kids, has recently become a widow as well. In need of a change, she and two friends, move to Las Vegas. They are immediately involved in the machinations of the start up New Century Airlines, and it's personnel. Carr knows a lot about that industry and the story, romances and relationships are entertaining and well done. I think it's one of her best!

[jlapac-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Relatively quick read. I liked the story and didn't hate any of the characters. I liked the sense of helping each other that was included in the book, especially Carlisle helping Nikki with the kids. I loved April helping Nikki make herself over.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blue Skies by Robyn CarrNikki had gotten custody of their children when her ex husband, Drake died. She used to get gifts of aviation, like planes and things for it.Now she's relocated her family to Las Vegas, chief pilot of a new airline and her friends are joining her.Loved hearing the behind the scenes of the pilots and stewardesses and air marshals.Bit confusing keeping everybody straight as there are many crew and friends.Relationship troubles and joys with the parents and many others are in the book.