The Voiceover Artist

by Dave Reidy

Since his youth, Simon Davies has suffered from a crippling stutter inherited from his father. Overshadowed by his charming younger brother, Connor, Simon doesn't speak for eighteen years, but harbors a secret dream to become a famous voiceover artist. Once Simon finds his voice, he must learn to live alongside Connor, or continue to suffer silently on his own.

Genres: Fiction

310 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Dave Reidy's novel The Voiceover Artist was listed among Top Fall Indie Fiction titles by Library Journal and named a Midwest Connections Pick by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association. Reidy's first book, a collection of short stories about performers called Captive Audience, was selected as an Indie Next Notable Book by the American Booksellers Association. His fiction has been published by Granta and his non-fiction has appeared in Belt Magazine and South Side Weekly. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book I only discovered after getting "Curbside Splendor" as my result in the Book Riot quiz, Which Indie Press Should You Be Obsessed With?" I had not heard of the publisher, and requested a bunch of interesting looking titles from interlibrary loan.

This book is a slow burn, and at first I read a bit and put it aside, but I slowly became completely wrapped up in the story. Simon has a stutter but dreams of working as a voiceover artist. The story starts with Simon as an adult but then goes back to his childhood, where a series of events lead him to quit speaking all together. The reader knows why eventually, but the reader does not necessarily get to see Simon get his voice back, which was a shame. The reason for this, though, is that the story is told through shifting perspectives, and not always from the central characters. So while these characters fill in pieces of the story, they don't always know everything. In the end I appreciated this incomplete picture because it seemed rather true to life. I also learned a lot about voiceover work! Who would have thought.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, written by a very smart college friend!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I just received this book in the mail yesterday morning and from the moment I opened the package to the last page, I couldn't put it down! The entire narrative was cleverly written with fast-paced back and forth between the characters. Each character is unique and multifaceted emotionally, making the characters seem real and had real depth that resisted a typical archetype label.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in bits and pieces, somewhat distracted during a busy time of year for me. But, man, what a ride. Loved it. The story of a boy who refuses to speak, after a childhood incident scars him, who grows up to become a voiceover artist. Shifting narrative voices usually bother me, but not so here. Ultimately it is a tale of brothers and love transcending their differences. This isn't really a review but a love note to a book.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is Dave Reidy's first published novel. I think it's a worthy read. It's told alternately from each different character's perspective, adding a layer of understanding for each character's actions.

[Diane Busch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of this book was great. The way it was presented by each character's point of view was fun and interesting. I did not love the language and inappropriate language/behavior. Because I liked the plot and the characters I wanted it to be a true story but alas, it is fiction.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

a truly solid book with superb characterization. i had a tough time putting it down. i loved how different characters told a different part of the story each chapter. it was so well done.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t resist the premise of this book. How does a stutterer, who goes silent for enough years to have his vocal chords atrophy, aspire to become a voice-over artist? Indeed, how does an older brother who stutters deal with a younger brother who not only aspires to become, but succeeds in becoming an improvisational actor? What would happen if the stutterer constantly listened to and admired the voices performing the commercials on the radio? Then, into the mix of sibling rivalry combine ideas of betrayal, life in a dying Catholic parish, guilt, and forgiveness. What one ends up with is a very human, somewhat semi-autobiographical, story with enough complexity to have the reader thinking about the characters long after completing the novel. The Voice Over Artist is very human, very thought-provoking.

Oh, I don’t think The Voice Over Artist was sufficiently epic to justify the skipping around through, in my opinion, far too many different points of view. That is the author’s prerogative, but it took away from my enjoyment in places. Did we really need the chapter from the New York producer’s perspective? Should we have seen so much of Catharine’s soul without knowing something of what happens to her after her last meeting with Simon Davies, our stubborn, speech-deprived voice-over artist?

On the other hand, it was pretty interesting to get into the head of Simon’s hero, Larry Sellers. I wasn’t expecting their meeting to be quite so threatening to the older person. I liked the honesty of the thoughts on both sides. It was well-done and, perhaps as intended, one of the more interesting high points of the narrative.

I liked the way the author interspersed the idea of hard work and serendipitous timing. When one hears performers talk about the many years leading toward their “overnight success,” it has some bearing on what just might be Simon’s first big break (or is it first big “bust?”). The balance is just right and just as I imagined show business to be.

In addition to a rich and insightful story, one gains a peek into the worlds of radio and improvisational theater, as well as show business in general. And, of course, I am personally a sucker for almost any novel (or film) set in Chicago. The Voice Over Artist succeeds for me in terms of characterization, venue, insight, and entertainment. The only reason it isn’t rated five stars by yours truly is because of the “follow the bouncing ball” P.O.V.s.

[Vickipedia · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

I wasn't sure what I expected from "The Voiceover Artist"...no, wait. I change my mind. I know exactly what I expected: more exploration of Simon Davies (our protagonist) the mute, the psychological impact of having no voice during his adolescence and part of his adult life, and a more detailed explanation on the exercises he did to regain his voice (which sounded identical to his brother's) so that he could achieve the goal of becoming a voiceover artist.

Don't get me wrong; I read those chapters but I wasn't satisfied. Everything just felt too superficial. On top of that, I read through chapters of various minor characters who walked in or out of Simon's life (his mom, dad, brother, agent, etc.) as they talked about their own character flaws...truly the most unrelatable and unlikable cast of characters I've come across. In fact, was an ensemble cast even necessary in propelling the story forward at its slow and steady pace?

As I progressed through the novel I saw a glimmer of hope that I'll call "character development" for Simon and even his brother (Connor), but that bit of hope was fleeting and therefore left me hanging.

This may be a novel that I'll have to revisit again at a later date to see if my opinion changes. Perhaps I'm missing something or maybe it's just a case of me expecting way too much from one character. Or maybe this story could benefit from a sequel that is solely dedicated to the brother. Either way, it's done. Book 2 for 2016 has been marked off the list.

[Iliana Mora · Rating 5 out of 5]

We selected this book for our neighborhood book club. It is rare that we all like the same book. This book was an exception; every single book member genuinely enjoyed Dave Reidy's Voiceover Artist.

Each character came to life-- the descriptions made the reader feel as if we were there experiencing each character's circumstance. I could smell the beer on the character's father; the tension between characters; the fresh air in NYC; the agent's office setting and the way she went about her work -- it was vivid but yet not so descriptive that one got lost.

The book also brings to life so many of life's realities. It provides an opportunity for reflection on how easily we can miscommunicate through our actions or lack of investing the time to actual "talk things out." The book was real, not fairy tale like at all, but genuine and honest.

Highly recommend the book. Dave Reidy is a best kept secret!

[Tankboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dave Reidy pulls the neat trick of revealing characters through other characters' eyes, and then later replaying the same scenes to uncover the opposite characters' actual thoughts and motivations. It sounds convoluted when I type that, but the actual effect is one of the closest examples of human observation versus reality I've encountered in a long time. It's showing without telling, then telling that peels back the layers of showing.

It's a tale told through a number of different voices, and this approach can run the risk of feeling fragmented, but Reidy's story is so well conceived the changes in tone always feel natural and in service to the narrative.

There's also an air of pragmatic hope, tempered by some brutally honest moments, that make the story's resolution feel honest and real. I highly recommend this book.

[John Schlotfelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series of interwoven, first-person narratives touches on family dysfunction and success on your own terms. More often than not, the gambit succeeds with parts of the story told from different perspectives, illuminating or more-fully realizing the situation. However, two or three of the female characters (the more business and career-focused characters) feel flat, like collections of their ambitions rather than fully-formed people. They also lack the narrative voices as that most of the other characters have.
It's a nice story about understanding and over-coming obstacles, but only in the most dramatic scenes does the language go beyond serving the narrative.

[Sutter Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up from new book shelf at library yesterday. Was pretty good at first, but then didn't hold my interest. The mother decided that having her stuttering son take guitar lessons wasn't a good idea, because he wouldn't be able to sing as he played. It is a well-known fact that stutterers do not stutter when they sing. I knew a piano player with a severe stutter who performed at local clubs, playing piano and singing normally.
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/content...

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great debut novel for anyone who either lives in Chicago, struggles with insecurities and social interactions, and/or has had to overcome those insecurities to pursue professional dreams. Also a good exploration of how to establish your own "voice" in the world. And the multitude of POV characters adds to the overall richness of the story.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent novel. The main character, Simon Davies, struggled with stuttering and with relationships between his brother and father. The story is about him becoming a voiceover artist, his dream career. It's a journey in which he understands himself and eventually the brother and father who betrayed him. The characters and the issues were authentic.

[Mike Smolarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave Reidy's The Voiceover Artist: wow. Shifting first person point of view each chapter, a handful of characters with depth whose stories intertwine and an ending that ties it all together. Once I got started, I had a hard time putting this book down.

[Victor Giron · Rating 5 out of 5]

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