Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows a chaotic family, going through a separation and managing their autistic son during the process. As they try to figure out co-parenting it is evident they are uncomfortable in their situation, Trip is sent to a sleep away camp while his mother attends a business trip. His father just can’t handle him on his own. However the business trip doesn’t end well…. Neither does the sleep away camp. Can afterlife Sandra help Trip get out of his sticky situation?

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t what I was expecting and wasn’t for me. It felt like reading two completely different books, I would have enjoyed more interaction between Sandra and Trip. There were a lot of side quests that I don’t think contributed to the overall story, and made it confusing for me to keep up with.

Trip is a strange, surreal book that left me unsure how to feel. The writing is unique and unpredictable, and the story unfolds in a dreamlike, often confusing way. I’m not sure I fully understood it, or liked it. Readers who enjoy experimental, unconventional fiction may find it intriguing. It wasn’t for me.

This is a weird one y'all.

Sandra is on a trip at a conference about death, or rather life after death, when she dies. Not that she realizes it at first.

Meanwhile back home, her autistic teen, Trip has left his treatment facility to hitch hike with a random alcoholic. In his adventures with this guy they drive to Florida where a hurricane is approaching, then go to his in laws home for a party, then steal a boat and are ultimately lost at sea when the electrical systems fail.

Along the way we get flashbacks as Sandra reflects on her life - little pieces of her relationship with her ex and Trip growing up.

Ultimately Sandra is determined to help Trip (because someone she's aware of his plight), even if it means possessing someone's body to do it.

Sooooo, this book is definitely a trip. I can't say it's not interesting or readable because it was, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this to just anyone.

Trip by Amie Barrodale is a story about a mother and son. I thought it would be a simple story but it veers off in weird directions. Trip, the son, is autistic and it was interesting to see how the author portrayed it in this way. Sandra, the mother, dies in an odd way and she also takes a strange trip. I neither loved nor hated it. Eunice Wong, the narrator does a fine job as always. I am more interested in an audiobook if I like the narrator because they can make or break a story. The ending was a choice, one that I don’t approve of and didn’t like. ALC was provided by Macmillan Audio via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.75/5

This review is for the audio version of the book as Narrated by Eunice Wong (superb narrator).

This was fascinating and a little bizarre.

Dual POVs following a mother through the afterlife, and her teenage son on the run from a treatment center, this book bounces from perspective to perspective as the mother learns to cope with her death and the son (gifted and autistic) learns to cope with the world at large.

There are moments of grief and levity in this as both people adjust to their new situations. The thoughts on death and the afterlife were told in a way that can leave your head spinning a little, but it tried to be balanced with humor as the conversations took wild tangents into food, cocktails, and film.

There is a strong theme of regret and lost opportunity running throughout this as Sandra contemplates her life with her son and the ways she feels she failed him.

I can't say I liked or dislike this, but it was definitely an interesting read.

This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the quirkiness of it but it won’t be something I think a lot about. Enjoyed the listen and enjoyed the narrator!