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You Have Arrived at Your Destination

Forward collection

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You Have Arrived at Your Destination

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: David Harbour
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About this listen

Audible narration by David Harbour (Stranger Things)

Nature or nurture? Neither. Discover a bold new way to raise a child in this unsettling story of the near future by the New York Times bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow.

When Sam’s wife first tells him about Vitek, a twenty-first-century fertility lab, he sees it as the natural next step in trying to help their future child get a “leg up” in a competitive world. But the more Sam considers the lives that his child could lead, the more he begins to question his own relationships and the choices he has made in his life.

Amor Towles’s You Have Arrived at Your Destination is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.

©2019 Cetology, Inc. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Anthologies & Short Stories Dystopian Fiction Genetic Engineering Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Science Fiction Comedy Short Story

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Critic reviews

"...[David] Harbour’s lively narration makes for a performance that's difficult to stop listening to. The short length works well, and characters crackle with life as Harbour's gruff cadence and occasional spot of humor keep the story engaging. The work will stick with listeners, thanks to its compelling narration and intriguing 'what-if' elements." (AudioFile magazine)

"...a sensational project...." (Spine Magazine)

"This is exactly how I like my techno-anxiety.... Happy bingeing!" (Audible, an October Editors Pick)
All stars
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His father's financial problems when Sam was at college meant he gave up on having fun and drinking with his fellow students to help his dad get out of debt. He never wanted to inflict anything like that on his own family. so it is only now, at 45 and financially secure, that Sam and his wife feel that they can have a child, Naturally, they want him (yes, they want a boy) to have every possible good start in life. So they go to Vitek, a new fertility clinic which can nudge genetics according to the parental preferences to give the baby certain attributes. Three short videos illustrate to Sam how the predicted life of each child will play out given certain characteristics, and he is supposed to chose. It is an uncomfortable look towards the future then an even more difficult spotlight on the past.

Narration by David Harbour is excellent. The fifth of the books in the the Forward Collection that I have read and, although well written and feeling very close to possibility, my least favorite of the short stories so far but still well worth the read

"Where would you like to go?"

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I enjoyed the first half of this short story, which involved a man bring presented with various options for his kids future from a DNA manipulation firm. In particular I was struck by the idea that lives fall into typical '3 act' structures and can be predicted to a high degree of certainty.

I didn't fully get where the book went after this point, the narrative could have been elaborated into something quite profound or thrilling, but went out on a drunken stagger. Much like Daniel's lives, the ending was predictable and underwhelming.

I'd still recommend giving this a quick listen, as it has some interested and though provoking ideas.

Thought provoking

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story started well but didn't develop as well as the underlying idea had suggested,could have been so much better

overall concept good

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An interesting thought experiment, but ultimately painting a bleak picture of a possible (probable?) future. The writing was good. The narration the best part, but slightly monotone.

Well, that was depressing

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You Have Arrived at Your Destination is a near-future sci-fi short story about genetic engineering, or even "boutique parentage", where picking the qualities of your child is the norm for the rich. It reads like a terrible dream for the main character as he sits through multiple projections of the life his potential child may live. An interesting topic for sure, very thought-provoking. And fascinating how they come up with these projections. But I'm not sure I completely understood the purpose of the ending. It's much less wrapped up than the other short stories in the series.

In terms of my enjoyment whilst reading this, it was a rollercoaster. At the beginning I struggled to get into it, then the crux of the story appeared and I was hooked, but then the ending disappointed me. Definitely a case of wasted potential but still worth a read.

3.75 stars, rounding up to 4 because I'm feeling kind.

Thought Provoking

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Story was fine but the performance was bland and uninteresting. Felt like there was absolutely no nuance to the character voices. Incredibly lazy character work

Disappointed by the performance

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It was very well written and I approved of Sam action at the end. A lot to think about.

Amor Towles writing

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