The Girl Who Wasn't There

Earworms

by Arvind Ethan David, Allison Caviness (Narrator), Malachi Kirby (Narrator)

A window is but a piece of glass through which we view the world outside. It is not meant to distort. It is not intended to do anything but show us things as they are.

At Oxford, though, there is a very particular window that reveals a very particular view. It is a view that defies all laws of nature and science. And when a detective is called in to investigate, he is startled to find that view opens a window into his own life–and a mystery he has never been able to solve.

The Girl Who Wasn't There is written by Arvind Ethan David and stars Malachi Kirby as Ernest Underwood and Sarita Choudhury as Sara Adler-Denning.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Time Travel

1 pages, Audible Audio

Published March 7, 2024

Reviews

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5~4★
“The thing that makes Oxford of its own kind is that it is as close to immortal as anything made by man.”

This is a bit of science fiction with fantasy and time travel – or is it? Could it be an elaborate hoax?

An Oxford student strikes up a friendship with a girl who attends classes with him for many months. He’s developing a bit of a crush, but one day he doesn’t see her anywhere.

She simply doesn’t turn up for classes and there’s no record of her. When he begins investigating, he finds a hidden room off a staircase in a turret. Perhaps this was hers?

The window seems awfully big and clear for such a little room, and why do the people outside look so old-fashioned?

It’s another entertaining little radio play (as I call them) from the 'Earworms' collection, free for Audible members. This is the kind of story I could imagine as the basis for an episode of the old “Twilight Zone” TV series, an old favourite.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting idea but it felt rushed and also had the feeling of what could been in the story bouncing around in a locked box, trying to get out.

Would have worked better with longer length... though I'm not sure how much to say minute wise.

Don't regret reading it, probably won't remember it not far off from now 🤷

[Jessica McDonough · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had a really great chance of being good but I was like when it was over I go wait did I fall asleep what happened did I skip something it went from the beginning to the end there was literally no middle part of the story and without that middle part you're missing plot you're missing character development you're missing so much that it's not really a story at that point.

[Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook (1 hour) narrated by Allison Caviness, Malachi Kirby, Sarita Choudhury, and Arvind Ethan David

The full cast narration was very well done.
The audio quality is high without distortion or erroneous noise.
I suggest listening from 1x to 2x speed, as preferred.

There is a lot happening in this short story.

It's a good listen, entertaining, with a bit of a twist at the end that did get me.

Recommend.

[Star Gater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon Original -- Ear worms

Fun short SyFy story. I like David's writing: the humor, the smart explanations but not over the top. I found myself staring at my tablet wishing it was the window.

I like this dramatization. (Take one off and add five. SMH -- lol)

Read as part of KU/Kindle clean out.

BookTuber: Dusty Book Sniffers

[Lori Eddlemon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun short story.

[Anastasiya M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to another short audiobook from the Earworms series, and unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. While it had a talented cast of narrators, I found the background music to be distracting. Although I'm a fan of time-traveling stories, the brevity of this audiobook meant it lacked the depth needed for enjoyment. Additionally, the mystery failed to captivate me, and I wished for more substance. Unfortunately, the ending didn't deliver either, leaving me unsatisfied.

https://annietheinkdrinker.wordpress.com

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debo admitir que se me hizo super interesante este concepto. Cuenta la historia de un detective privado que hace muchos años conoció una muchacha que desapareció bajo circunstancias misteriosas, un día estaba allí y al otro es como si nunca hubiera existido, lo cual lo llevó a encontrar su camino en la vida.

Por distintas circunstancias, se le presenta nuevamente la oportunidad de resolver este caso que lo obsesionó por años, y en el trayecto descubrimos muchas cosas super interesantes.

El cierre me gustó mucho, no me lo esperaba.

[Tiffany Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fast paced. There were some areas in the story that seemed to skip or jump some parts. It had a twist at the end. Great for a quick read.

[Aline Leal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story with mystery, sci-fi and a discussion about race. Interesting twist. Great narration.

[Linda✨🖤 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The voice actors performed impeccably.
Their words and the background music and sound effects throws you into their world.
However ,the story itself was sadly lacking.
The beginning had so much potential to be great. Instead, this story ended up being a duped twist of those "back to the future" movies🤷‍♀️
Not bad , I took this as a cute 1hr palate cleanser between other books.

[Chante _mightierthanthesword_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was weird...

[Shawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This had promise but was over before it could even start.

[Cory Hawksbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the dangers of time travel is that a parent will inevitably get the 🔥 for their time travelling kid. This guy gets to fall for his daughter and then finds out where she went after she visited his time when his alma mater discovers a room behind a boarded up wall and the view outside the windows of the room show the banks of the Charles River from the time C.S. Lewis made up stories of mad hatters and evil queens to tell children. He is an investigator now and discovers the truth about the one that got away. Some of the truth, anyway.

[Ericka · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice time traveling story. Short, slow burn but I liked the content. The narrators were great.
Think that the moral of the story was that help comes from whom you least expected.

A young student, who was about to throw in the towel, gets his life turned by a new friend, who appeared as suddenly as she disappeared, an experience that shapes his own future.

The end gives you an awwwww moment. This is a good book to quickly go through between other books.

[Ryan Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content Warnings: Brief sexual references

This well performed full cast performance of a short story is as palatable as it is forgettable. I would like to blame the simplicity of the story on its brevity; however, the fact remains that other authors have successfully pulled off significantly more complex characters and plots in shorter formats. The conclusion was sufficiently satisfying on the human dimension, if not in any other respect.

[Krysta Angotti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has been my favorite of Arvind Ethan David’s books. It sets us in a world that seems very plausible with the biggest issue. It talks about a lot of different issues but the main plot being about a girl who went “missing” while in college. But maybe she ran away to this college to get away through a parallel universe and how this girl changed lives and now showing this different phenomenon.

[Reader_for_LifeTLG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! - This was a great listen. The storyline, the cast of many and even the music kept me rapt from beginning to end. I got lost at the end for a bit (had to re-listen) before it became clear that there was an element of time travel at the heart of the mystery. The girl had been there, and she not only ensured a better future outcome for the world, but she gained personal time with a loved one she'd never met in her time. A satisfying ending all around.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short audio book from my friend and client Arvind David. It's a time travel detective story that takes place in a contemporary Oxford where the people are no longer exclusively stodgy white Englishmen. It has some classic time travel tropes and a twist at the end. It's free with your Audible subscription. Enjoy.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot idea had a lot of potential but fell flat. The main character and the actual story were forgettable. The epilogue was a great twist but also left a couple of more unanswered questions.

All in all, it was a short listen and the story idea and the epilogue were great. Yet as a whole, this was disappointing.

[Alyssa (Cozy.Soul.Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is so interesting!!!! Ms. Underwood's story and the way that window was discovered made me smile. The Alice and wonderland reference was fascinating. OH MY GOSH, the twist!!! That He was her father and she never got to know him and the loop linked to a memory they would go on to have together. What a interesting story!!!

[Cristiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

A potentially interesting, albeit not new, premise and an extremely poor development. Lazy characterization, silly dialogues. Not to talk about the ending (and final "twist") that we have already seen in at least one thousand and one books and films! I won't listen to any of his other audible audiobooks, that's for sure.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detective is called to investigate an intriguing mystery. Who has built a window back through time hidden in a lost room in Oxford University? Why? How? And why would Oxford call a detective instead of calling in a team of physicists? What does it have to do with the disappearance of a first-year student twenty years before? The questions accumulate faster than answers...

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story about a missing student that turned into much more. A popular college loses a student and it becomes a sensation the administration tries to handle. Loved the twist at the end. Second title from this author I’ve listened to. He’s interesting. Loved the doctor who lost his mind.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very short story on Audible Plus. It's a little sci-fi, a little mystery, and I hated the voice acting, or maybe it was the fault of the writing. It came across as overwrought and pompous to my ears. The story wasn't very satisfying to me.

[Aaron Esthelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really great Idea its just a shame it felt like they didn't know what to do with it. A mystery of a girl who disappeared leaving behind a window into the past can go so many places and this one just didn't do anything interesting with it. A shame

[LeAnn L Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking through a glass window usually brings a view to the outside—but a particular window at Oxford University defies everything. When a detective is brought in, a mystery unfolds, and one he cannot figure out…

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is part of a set of short stories all by the same author. I've read 3 and they all seem to be in the realm of fantasy or sci-fi. This one was my favorite of all 3 so far.
It's a short story so can't say much without giving away the story...but it's about a magical window! =)

[jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reminded me a lot of Paper Towns until the end (better end, but not by much). The ending did clear everything up but it didn’t explain a single thing before that. This somehow felt like it dragged on forever, going nowhere, while being less than an hour long.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this short story in one sitting. It was interesting. It held my attention. It has a twist ending. I enjoyed it. It is about a man who attended Oxford but becomes a private detective. Oxford hires him to find a missing girl who escaped out a window.