The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In this page-turning contemporary thriller, National Book Award Finalist and New York Times bestselling author Paolo Bacigalupi explores the timely issue of how public information is distorted for monetary gain, and how those who exploit it must be stopped.Everything Alix knows about her life is a lie. At least that's what a mysterious young man who's stalking her keeps saying. But then she begins investigating the disturbing claims he makes against her father. Could her dad really be at the helm of a firm that distorts the truth and covers up wrongdoing by hugely profitable corporations that have allowed innocent victims to die? Is it possible that her father is the bad guy, and that the undeniably alluring criminal who calls himself Moses--and his radical band of teen activists--is right? Alix has to make a choice, and time is running out, but can she truly risk everything and blow the whistle on the man who loves her and raised her?

Why Did I Listen To This Book?

All of the books that I’ve read by Paolo Bacigalupi are books that I have experienced via audiobook. And by all the books, I mean two books narrated by Joshua Swanson – Shipbreaker and The Drowned Cities. I really enjoyed those books on audio. For some odd reason, I tend to psych myself out and think that Bacigalupi’s books would be over my head and thus I need an audiobook version to better be able to appreciate what is going on. His latest book, The Doubt Factory, is narrated by one of my favorites, Emma Galvin, and frankly is one that yes, would totally be over my head if not for the audiobook. When a review audiobook copy was flung my way, I had to immediately listen because I knew that it would be a guaranteed good audio. For the most part, it was, minus the storyline.

What’s The Story Here?

The Doubt Factory is about main character Alix, who goes to a private school in California. She’s got a pretty good group of friends. She’s got a nice home life too, with her parents still together, and a little brother. Unbeknowest to her, Alix has a stalker as well. Her stalker is this guy named Moses who starts a few pranks at Alix’s school to get her attention, and to ultimately enlighten her to what her father does. You see, Alix’s father is an image consultant who makes these companies that do morally bankrupt things look good. Culminating in a kidnapping, Moses and his gang of roving teenage activists are set on convincing Alix that her dad’s job is terrible and that the companies need to pay for what they’ve gotten away with. Alix, of course, begins to develop feelings for Moses.

What Are The Characters Like?

As a main character, it is interesting to see Alix go from being privileged and ignorant to being aware of how her dad’s actions affect other people. I liked that she was not immediately on board with the activists. It takes some convincing for sure. Moses is pretty interesting too. He’s got a vendetta and of course, he is upset with the company getting away with it. I do think his blame on Alix’s dad is misplaced. The dude is just doing his job, it’s not like he’s the one who was running the morally bankrupt big pharma corporation. Cynthia, another character who Alix is friends with, is alright too. I did like some of the reveals about her.

Did I Take Any Meaning Away From This Book?

Honestly, I thought that The Doubt Factory was kind of heavy handed with the message. That message being don’t trust big pharma and don’t treat corporations as people. Like, yeah, I think it’s great to have a bit of doubt about various conglomerates and large corporations. At the same time though, the message was so in your face that it was hard to take seriously. I don’t know, I think I stopped caring about the message once the relationship between Alix and Moses seemed to turn romantic. That detracted from the story and just made me eyeroll every time the activists were planning or doing something to get their message about the evils of big pharma across. Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but I was not at all won over by the message.

How’s The Narration?

Emma Galvin is a flawless narrator as always. She makes sitting in place or listening to an audiobook that is almost twelve hours long seem quite easy. I always write the same thing about her, but she does emotions on behalf of the characters really well. I have zero complaints about her narration. The production values were good, no weird noises, no jarring cuts. It just works very, very well. Overall, as an audiobook, I enjoyed The Doubt Factory on an aural level.

Sum It Up With A GIF:

I really wanted to love this, but no.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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