Attaboy cover art

Attaboy

Preview

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Attaboy

Written by: Sam Tallent
Narrated by: Dan Bittner, Helen Laser
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $17.98

Buy Now for $17.98

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

From Sam Tallent, author of the hit indie novel Running the Light, which Marc Maron calls "a beautiful rendering of a dark reality", comes a story about poverty, addiction, and bare-knuckle boxing set in the shadows of the American heartland.

Teenaged Jesse is trapped. Growing up, he had all the potential in the world, but then real life intervened. Now he's got a high school diploma, two perpetually black eyes, and a pill fix he can't shake. By day, when he's not high on pain killers, Jesse is hardening his body; it’s the only thing about his life that he can really control. By night, he’s a god in the makeshift ring under the barnyard flood lights, willing to take on any local tough the Madsen brothers put in front of him. Most of Jesse’s fights don't last more than a minute or two. But as competition in town dries up, the Madsens go looking for better fights and bigger risks - with the chance for bigger payouts. Even as Jesse’s home life is closing in on him, he must find a way to win one more fight.

It's the only chance he's got.

©2021 Sam Tallent (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.
Thriller & Suspense
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Attaboy

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Worth an hour, I suppose.

A story that seemed to want to cram in as many problems in a hour as possible, whilst being only a bit disturbing in the end. Sympathetic to the characters, but a longer version might have been more rewarding.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A lot of powerful emotion in a short story

A stark examination of the quest for "a better life". Simply exquisite and highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Brilliant Short Story

The story & characters are more than realistic. Even in this short edition, the entire lives of its focal characters are understood & felt. As he did in, "Running The Light", Sam Tallent, again brutally romances tragedy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Gritty, Moody, Borderline Depressing

This short story from Sam Tallent is a starkly dark discussion of a hopeless teenaged drug addict who underground bareknuckle fights in a desperate attempt to merely sustain existence..
and his daydreaming sleep-with-whoever sister that wants to leave their no-future surroundings.

Do Not read this story expecting an uplifting message or a demonstration of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. What you will get instead is a very well-written circle of light illuminating a dark corner of American existence.. along with strikingly realistic dialogue and mind's-eye vivid descriptions.
'Attaboy' is basically a kick in the gonads with a "There. Life f*cking sucks, don't it?" taunt while you lay gasping in pain on the floor.

Dan Bittner and Helen Laser are fantastic readers - legitimately bringing this viscerally-affecting but admittedly superficial exposition to life. The production standards from Audible Originals are also noteworthy.

This 6.5/10 star story isn't for everyone.. but it's a reasonable download if you can get it for free (as I did). If they ask you for money, however - spend it on something else.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!