Skyscraper Lullaby

by James Fritz

As they recount the events surrounding the disappearance of their toddler—one with a tendency to bite—two parents cope with grief in vastly different ways. While the father wrestles with feelings of guilt, the mother is convinced she’s spotted the boy in frightening TV news reports...though let’s just say he looks nothing like the precocious little boy they remember from a decade ago. A heart-pounding, psychological journey of unimaginable proportions thrillingly brought to life by Arian Moayed, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Stephanie Hsu (as a young doctor in the midst of disaster), James Fritz’s Skyscraper Lullaby is a haunting examination of the ways we cope with tragedy, complicity, and remorse… or the lack thereof.

Playwright James Fritz was awarded a commission through the Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund, an initiative dedicated to developing innovative original plays driven by language and voice. As an Audible-commissioned playwright, he received funding and creative support to develop Skyscraper Lullaby.

Genres: Audiobook, Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Short Stories, Monsters, Plays

2 pages, Audible Audio

Published December 8, 2022

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "WTF Did I Just Read" award goes to ...... Yes, this book!

An audible original free with sub (1h 30m). I went into Skyscraper Lullaby blind. I want to read a couple of short stories and the ratings on audible are good (not here on GR obviously, 2.79?).

[Deleted my review] I think you should go in blind... Why should I suffer alone? 🙊 I'm only kidding! I love the first half and thought it'll be five stars. The second half was LOL-farfetched-are you serious-fantasy-la la land. I want to ask the author, what was he smoking when he came up with this idea. 🤷‍♀️

The audiobook was awesome! One of the voice actors is Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once.) She's wonderful! Also, the other two performers are great as well! Loved it!

[SueCanaan · Rating 1 out of 5]

A free audible short story.

It was 90 minutes long.

Even free, I spent too much money for this. I will never get that 90 minutes of my life back. Save yourself.

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a very confusing and unusual story but also good and creative in a weird way. I'm honestly on the fence about how I feel about it lol

[Kathy Adamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although short, don't waste your listening time on this. Do something constructive instead.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just because it’s free and short doesn’t mean you should listen to it. I regret not looking at reviews. Big time waste

[Chris Mirabal · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was an interesting story. a bit of a mystery mixed with a monster novel. i enjoyed it. the acting was a bit over the top. also in the audiobook, there is a ton of background noises: sirens, explosions, monster sounds etc. if you don't like that in your audiobooks i would give it a pass. but for a short story a little over a hour in length. i enjoyed it

[Nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so unbelievable that I five starred it. And yet, it was amazing. The cast did a wonderful job at keeping my attention through the entire book. Way to go!

[Fabiola Llama · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waste of time

[Michelle Leah Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

WHAT did I just listen to?? 🤣

[Zarlina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning of this, but it became a bit too much in the end. The voice acting was outstanding, though, so I'd say that if you have a bit of time to kill, give this one a listen

[Kate Karpus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know why this is so poorly rated. I LOVED this. It was so fun.

[Gianna Coraluzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so funny like someones baby godzilla vanishes in the woods in the us & grows up to be a big monster in japan & the moms just rationalizing it like “no hes okay!!”

Too many pov’s for the short period of time but funny

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 I’m giving it an extra.5 for the amazing sound recording they have done on this book. Let me say this was one of if not the weirdest damn book I have ever read!

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an audible free short story. It was definitely not what I expected, but it was good! The production was well done and creepy!!!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The production value and the skill of the voice actors was incredible, but the story itself was odd and random and didn’t really make sense. I was drawn in at the beginning until it got weird when you find out what the son becomes.

[Ebony Irby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!!! This is a Great short read that will keep you on your toes till the end! I was not expecting the “twist” from the wife’s POV. Stick it out, it will be worth it!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird little Audible original radio drama, that starts as a sort of Rashomon story about a lost child and ends with a kaiju rampaging through Tokyo and San Francisco.

The couple who narrate the first half tell very different versions of the story of their little boy. In the husband's version, he was a normal child who tragically disappeared one day, and his wife was driven insane by the loss. In the wife's version, their child was a monster.

Halfway in, we abruptly fast forward to ten years later, and there is a giant monster destroying Tokyo.

Is the mother insane and constructing a narrative out of her grief and psychosis, or is this a weird horror fable in which children can grow up to become kaiju?

It's performed well and the vibe is part Stephen King, part Cloverfield.

[Lexee Toste · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not what I was expecting it to be and with that said it wasn't my type of story. Had I known what it actually was I would not have chosen to listen to it. With that being said, production of the story was very well done and if you are into these types of stories (more horror with touch of sci-fi) you will probably enjoy it. It is short and I did listen to the entire story and it was well done but it was not for me. It was a little weird when we got to the doctor portion of things. I was thinking it would be more thriller missing child that was very difficult and misbehaving and this was more monster and horror story. The cast and production did a great job with it though just not for me.

[David Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buckle up for a weird tale.
Skyscraper Lullaby is without a doubt the weirdest book/story I’ve listened to on Audible. The story is told from three points of view, which is interesting especially since there are three narrators who do an excellent job delivering the story. The weird part is the story itself, as I was listening, I was trying to figure out what genre this story might fit into. Is it horror? There are definite horror elements to the story. Is it science fiction? There is a strong Syfy element. Or is it a psychological thriller? There are parts that fit that genre. This one defies the ideas of genre. While I was left wondering about certain parts of the story, overall, it was a good companion on my daily walk.

[Alison Giese · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOL!! What did I just listen to? That was NOT what I was expecting. It started off great. Then it got weird. Then it got completely freaking bizarre. The first half was a 5. The second half was a 2. For the great narration, I'll round up to a 3, although I got very confused because I didn't realize the voice had changed from the mother to the doctor, so that whole section I thought I was listening to the mother. Whatever. I figured it out in hindsight, and wasn't going to listen to it again. Not worth spending any more time on.

[Kamla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this hilarious 😂 😃 . If you like Mandy the TV Series written and acted by Diane Morgan, and the more macabre short stories by Roald Dahl, then you'll like this. It really is a Tale of the Unexpected!

Full of sound effects, the baby chomping on the hand was particularly amusing.
I hope it is intended as dark comedy, otherwise I'm just sick 😆 🤣 😂

Audible - Please sponsor some more of this Author's / Playwright's work. I enjoyed the production.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, most reviewers hate this audio play. I get why. I'd say it helps to suspend your disbelief and be open to the possibilities, and just let them wash over you. This is one weird story, but I was fully engaged and entertained throughout. Kudos to the voice actors who brought the whole thing to life. It's not a story that you will figure out in the first ten minutes, and that's a fact. You will not see where it's going. Enjoy that.

[Theresa Materazzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it may be a good listen, and I completed it because I hate not finishing what I have started. I should have not finished it, it was awful and I can’t believe this was an awarded story!
Do not waste your time, I know I did!
And I am sorry to say that, I hate not enjoying something someone took time to write but omg I want that time back for a better story!

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird story! Glad I didn’t pay for this short story. It was a train wreck that kept me listening just to see how everything came together and ended. Plus just to see how dumb it could be. I gave it a 3 just because of the good audible performance.

[Jolleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very weird. I wanted to like it and the beginning was good. However it got very weird and I wasn’t sure what the authors were trying to get at. Just very odd and probably wouldn’t recommend unless you’re super bored.

[Jay Ward A.K.A. Chris Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out pretty good then took a complete left hand hair-pin turn on me! But it slowly became pretty good again. Nice little adventure, well acted, well written, and well produced…this as usual makes all the difference.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizarre horror novella. Told in 3 POVs with a disturbing plot. One could argue similarities in contemporary parenting and unleashing rotten children onto the world to cause harm... but this is just a story, right? I was entertained, the writing and narrative was good, but I can't recommend.

[Kaya Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this the origin story of Godzilla?
Of Attack on Titan? 😳

(Loved the narration!)

EDIT: oh damn I just noticed the bad ratings/reviews. I'm a little confused because, although it had a meh ending, this one's a little better than what you usually find in Audible's free catalog in my opinion

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very odd quick read. The mother got on my nerves, the parents of course acted like they should not believe there eyes. But the father finally wised up only to release the child into the world for everyone to have to deal with or run from.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75. Unusual, and original but you don't get invested. The reader is a spectator, and I'll likely forget this book down the road when I see it in my "read" section.
However, it's paced well and I wanted to know how it would end therefore, I finished it. .....next...