I recently narrated an audiobook for Books On Tape / Random House called “Split” by Swati Avasthi. The story surrounds a family that endures horrible physical and emotional abuse and how the two young boys are forced to work through their “baggage” as they enter adulthood. I have to say that it was the most emotional experience I’ve ever had while recording an audiobook. The characters and their situations, though fictional, still pulled on my heart and I morned for those who have to endure and hopefully overcome abuse. I’ve been blessed in that I never had to deal with such battles, but close friends and members of my family have. The thought of their real struggle overwhelmed me at times while I was narrating “Split.”
My Director, the proficient Tony Hudz, took it upon himself to compose an email to the author thanking her for her marvelous work of fiction and to relay the emotional hurdles we encountered while producing her audiobook. This is the response we received from our author Swati Avasthi:
Hi Tony,
Thanks for getting in contact with me. Good to “meet” you. I’m thrilled that “Split” is being recorded. I can’t wait to hear your group’s interpretation of it!
Thanks also for sharing your response to Split. It means a lot to me that it moved you, and I hope that people who are invested in Jace and his family come to understand the complexity and brutality of abuse. It was important to my to show the violence without romanticizing or sugar coating it, to say that it can be this bad and this hard.
I wrote Split after coordinating a domestic violence clinic for 3 years, listening to stories of people who had to escape from those that they love. I have so much respect for abuse survivors and became perturbed when I would hear people intimate that leaving is easy and implying that the victim is at fault for staying. As is obvious from the text, I was particularly concerned for kids who get caught in that horrible cycle.
Once “Split” was sold, I realized that it was possible that someone who worked on it may have a history with abuse, but it never occurred to me that it would be someone who had to live it and get intimate with the text the way that actors and directors do. I hope that Mr. Swanson, whose work I really enjoy, can find some healing through this experience and through the knowledge that his work is likely to help someone else. Sometimes that’s what I told myself while I struggled to write those harder scenes. I would look at some of the stats of teen abuse to remind me how important work like this can be.
Please let me know, of course, if I can help on anything.
Thanks for your hard work on “Split.” I hope it continues to be rewarding. I appreciate all the compliments!
Best,
Swati
