The Nobodies, Alanna Schubach
The Nobodies, Alanna Schubach
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The Nobodies

Author: Alanna Schubach

Narrator: Carmen Torres

Unabridged: 11 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/21/2022

Synopsis

The story of two young women whose friendship offered—and demanded—more than either should share. For fans of Sally Rooney and Claire North.“Sometimes I wondered if I imagined it,” said Nina. “But deep down I knew I didn’t.”Jess said, “We did too much damage for it not to be real.”Jess and Nina, Nina and Jess … to everyone else they’re typical best friends, sharing closeness and confidences in their own little world. But Nina and Jess have a secret. Simply by touching their foreheads together, they can swap bodies.In Jess’s assertive persona, self-conscious Nina turns bolder, free to say what she’s frightened to voice on her own. Inhabiting Nina, Jess becomes part of the loving, stable family she craves.Now, in crisis after her father’s death, Jess has reentered Nina’s life following a long separation. Once again they switch bodies, and their worlds begin to mesh. Each deceives the other, confesses, is forgiven. But how deeply can you sink into another’s life before there’s nothing left of you? Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City, The Nobodies poses questions about the nature of intimacy, the many flavors of betrayal, and the value of female friendships.

About Alanna Schubach

Alanna Schubach’s fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, the Sewanee Review, the Massachusetts Review, Electric Literature, and more. She was an Emerging Writer Fellow with the Center for Fiction, a Fellow in Fiction with the New York Foundation for the Arts, and a MacDowell fellow. She earned an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in New York, where she works as a freelance journalist and writing teacher.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Matt. on March 12, 2022

A fascinating, sad, and completely realistic tale about two friends who can't help but love and harm each other. A stunning, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful novel. Do yourself a favor and purchase this book when it comes out on June 21st. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for th......more

Goodreads review by Alicia on May 28, 2022

The Nobodies Alanna Schubach “You were told, when you were young, that the possibilities were endless. Only with Jess had that ever seemed true.” This was an excellent book. It was so much more than just a tale about two friends who can body swap. It was about friendship, connections, loss, betrayal a......more

Goodreads review by Jordyn on July 17, 2022

Such an interesting premise but such a let down of a book 😭 it just felt sooo mundane for me. I was way more interested in the past timeline than the present and was hoping for more twists and turns and creative use of the sci fi element. I think there’s an audience who would enjoy this slow, melanc......more

Goodreads review by Geonn on July 21, 2022

I really hate when authors decide to alternate chapters between past and present. It's the same people, who know each other's history, and the present-day chapters have them being vague and circumspect entirely for the reader's sake. This time I refused to play along and just skipped chapters to rea......more

Goodreads review by Seth on January 12, 2022

A thrilling, melancholy, absolutely real-feeling novel about two friends who can't help but love each other and hurt each other. A beautiful, devastating, and ultimately hopeful book.......more

Quotes

“What a smart, beautifully strange book this is—about friends who can swap bodies at will, a gift so brilliantly evoked it seems entirely natural.  Its dangers have their own suspense, and the progress of this friendship has much to tell us. A terrific novel.” Joan Silber, award-winning author of Fools and The Size of the World

“What happens when two friends are so close, the lines of their identities blur? Alanna Schubach’s The Nobodies is a riveting exploration of intimacy and betrayal, a coming-of-age tale that’s both insightful and brash.” Elizabeth Gaffney, author of When the World Was Young and Metropolis

“The world has missed out on Schubach’s writing for long enough. Her debut novel is an intoxicating folie à deux—vicious and protective, painful and sublime.” Genevieve Sly Crane, Whiting Award winner for Fiction and author of Sorority

Awards

  • io9/Gizmodo
  • Study Hall Creative
  • Tor.com Pick
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