Short Stories audiobooks

Next Door

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 11 minutes

Abridged: No

An introspective story of neighbors, movies, and marriage from short-story master Tobias WolffLying stiffly in their separate beds, a husband and his wife are woken in the middle of the night to the sound of their fighting neighbors. There are three of them—a man, a woman, and a young child. With their blasting stereos, violent interludes, and... Read more

Hunters in the Snow

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

An unnerving tale of self-absorption and deception by short-story master Tobias WolffThree friends are leaving the suburbs of Spokane on a hunting trip. Kenny is the prankster, harsh and mean. Frank is laid-back and full of idealism. Tub is overweight, sensitive, and the brunt of everyone's jokes. Searching for tracks in the snow, the trio has... Read more

The Liar

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 37 minutes

Abridged: No

One of Tobias Wolff's classic tales, "The Liar" is the story of a deceitful teenage boy and his religious, resolute mother.James is a liar. He enjoys inventing fantastic stories about his family, particularly his mother. Margaret is orderly, stubborn, and judgmental—a woman who throws rocks at hungry bears and never misses four o'clock Mass. She... Read more

Soldier’s Joy

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 39 minutes

Abridged: No

A powerful tale of life after war by short-story master Tobias WolffHooper, a Vietnam veteran, finds himself at an army base in Washington State. His days are uneventful, filled with mundane duties, empty conversations, and the occasional jaunt with a married woman.A phone call in the middle of the night breaks Hooper's predictable routine. One... Read more

The Rich Brother

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 35 minutes

Abridged: No

A classic tale of brotherly love and rivalry from short story master Tobias WolffPete has always been successful. Happily married with two daughters, he lives a comfortable life in Santa Cruz. Pete is a practical, hardworking man and he enjoys life's monetary pleasures. His younger brother, Donald, is a gaunt, troubled man. Unmarried and without... Read more

Leviathan

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 25 minutes

Abridged: No

Two drugged-out couples contemplate life and morality in "Leviathan," a classic short story by the masterful Tobias Wolff.For Helen's thirtieth birthday party, her husband decides to throw her a small party. Armed with booze and three grams of cocaine, the four partyers—Helen, her husband, and another couple—spend the night and the next morning... Read more

Say Yes

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 10 minutes

Abridged: No

Ann's friends envy her. None of their husbands even lift a finger to help with the household chores. Ann's husband is different, though. Then a simple hypothetical conversation while they wash and dry the dishes causes Ann to see her husband in a different light—and causes him to rethink the way two people can know one another. Read more

Mortals

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 18 minutes

Abridged: No

Mr. Givens' obituary is nothing remarkable, hardly something to remember at all. He led a quiet life, served in the Army, was married to the same woman for forty-two years, and worked at the same job practically his whole life. He wasn't a baseball player or a movie star, he was the furthest thing from a celebrity. In fact, the only thing... Read more

Flyboys

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 34 minutes

Abridged: No

In this short story from Our Story Begins, three friends confront their relationships to one another as they work on plans to build their very own airplane.Clark's parents are rich, supplying the boys with all they need to follow their pursuits, making films and building catapults. Meanwhile, Freddy's family is dealing with the loss of his older... Read more

Sanity

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 24 minutes

Abridged: No

April's father, a psychology professor, has had a breakdown and has landed in the Alta Vista State Hospital. Her stepmother, Claire, is just waiting for him to get out so she can leave on a trip to Italy—a trip April is worried Claire won't come back from. She needs Claire, at least until she finishes high school. She needs her not just as a... Read more

The Other Miller

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 32 minutes

Abridged: No

Miller is unlucky. That's why he's in a foxhole with the rest of Bravo Company. That's why his dad is gone and his mother remarried. That's why his teeth are falling out. Then, when the first sergeant tells Miller his mother has passed away, Miller thinks he's finally gotten lucky. Surely it's another Miller's mother, and now he can get away... Read more

Two Boys and a Girl

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 33 minutes

Abridged: No

Gilbert saw Mary Ann first, but the second time he sees her she is dancing with his best friend, Rafe. The three of them begin hanging out all the time, driving around in the car Rafe got as a present for getting into Yale. But when Rafe goes out of town, Gilbert and Mary Ann keep the tradition going, seeing movies and going on drives … in... Read more

The Chain

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 31 minutes

Abridged: No

When Gold's daughter is viciously attacked by a neighbor's dog and barely escapes with her life, Gold's world is torn open. Haunted by the incident and unable to convince local authorities to take action, he agrees to a friend's offer of retaliation. When he feels compelled to return the favor, one bad turn leads to another—and this time, Gold... Read more

Smorgasbord

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 32 minutes

Abridged: No

García, the wealthy, swaggering son of a foreign dictator, invites two lower-class boys from his boarding school to have dinner in New York along with his Spanish-speaking stepmother, Linda. When the group decides to go to a kitschy, unpretentious Swedish smorgasbord rather than a fine restaurant, García refuses to leave the limousine, still... Read more

Lady’s Dream

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 15 minutes

Abridged: No

Lady, suffocating in the car on a hot summer's day, slips into a feverish dream. Robert, her husband, watches her slip into unconsciousness as he drives. He's a soldier, a man of principle, well-educated and well-adjusted. But Robert is also a man with an agenda; he has married this young, wild lower-class girl to spite his father, and now he... Read more

Powder

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 9 minutes

Abridged: No

With his marriage on the rocks, a father takes his son skiing for the weekend. After insisting on staying just a bit longer—despite a growing blizzard—the boy's father finds they're snowed in at the resort, the road blockaded by state troopers. To what lengths will he go to keep his marriage intact? Read more

The Night in Question

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 21 minutes

Abridged: No

A story of siblings and faith from short-story master Tobias WolffFrances has always been protective of her younger brother Frank. The children of a brutal father and a sick, defenseless mother, Frances fought to keep her brother safe. And throughout all of his adult failings—from drug addiction to near-fatal car crashes—she has stood by his... Read more

Firelight

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 28 minutes

Abridged: No

A mother and her son dream of a life beyond their means in this classic short story by Tobias Wolff."Firelight" tells the story of a mother and her son who are spending the afternoon viewing apartments on a chilly day in Seattle, Washington. The two have no intention of renting one—they can only afford to live in a meager boarding house.... Read more

Bullet in the Brain

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 13 minutes

Abridged: No

The story of a book critic and his final thoughts from short-story master Tobias WolffAnders is an angry, cynical man. A book critic known for his scathing reviews, he finds any excuse to dismiss, belittle, or insult. This afternoon is no more agitating than the next. Angers finds himself in a long line at the bank, waiting to reach a teller.... Read more

That Room

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 10 minutes

Abridged: No

In this short story by the masterful Tobias Wolff, a teenage boy learns the joys—and struggles—of adult life.Eager for independence and adult-like freedom, a teenage boy takes a summer job baling hay on a rural farm. Savoring the farm wife's attention and the extra change in his pocket, the boy feels like a grown man. The fellow hands give him a... Read more

Awaiting Orders

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 22 minutes

Abridged: No

Sergeant Morse is a risk-taker, playing chicken with the potential exposure of his sexuality. Julianne is looking for her brother, Specialist Hart, not knowing he's shipped out to Iraq. In a surprising moment of tenderness, Sergeant Morse offers to help her, but whether due to fear of exposure or stubbornness, they might both be beyond rescue. Read more

A White Bible

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 29 minutes

Abridged: No

Maureen is an English teacher, and she's had a long day. All she wants is a relaxing night out with friends, a few beers, and maybe the chance to forget the troubles of her past: the gambling ex-husband and the daughter who'd thrown her life away sleeping with married men. But her night—and maybe her life—is thrown off track when she leaves the... Read more

Her Dog

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 12 minutes

Abridged: No

John didn't want a dog. He wasn't ready, he said. Grace, on the other hand, did want a dog, and when she brought Victor home from the pound, John made sure Grace knew it was her dog, her responsibility. But when Grace dies, John is left with just Victor and his grief, and he learns a new level of devotion. Read more

A Mature Student

By: Tobias Wolff

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 25 minutes

Abridged: No

Theresa left the Marines after twenty-two years to start a new life. Her husband had moved on to a second wife, and her son had recently enlisted. Now Theresa is going to school, getting a degree in hotel management. But it is her art history class she finds most interesting, and a chance encounter with her professor leaves her with new fears... Read more