A Million Drops

Written by Víctor del Árbol

Narrated by Derek Shetterly

An intense literary thriller that tears through the interlocked histories of fascism and communism in Europe without pausing for breath.

Gonzalo Gil is a disaffected lawyer stuck in a failed career and a strained marriage, dodging the never-ending manipulation of his powerful father-in-law. The fragile balance of Gonzalo’s life as a father and husband is pushed to the limit when he learns, after years without news of his estranged sister, Laura, that she has committed suicide under suspicious circumstances. Resolutely investigating the steps that led to her death, Gonzalo discovers that Laura is believed to have murdered a Russian gangster who kidnapped and killed her young son.

What seems to be revenge is just the beginning of a tortuous path that will take Gonzalo through the untold annals of his family’s past. He will examine the fascinating story of his father, Elías Gil, the great hero of the antifascist resistance. As a young engineer Elías traveled to the USSR committed to the ideals of the revolution, but was betrayed, arrested, and confined on the infamous Nazino Island, ultimately becoming a key figure, admired and feared, during Spain’s darkest years.

Suspenseful and utterly absorbing, A Million Drops is a visceral story of enduring love and revenge postponed that introduces a master of international crime fiction to American readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Mar 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094415147

Víctor del Árbol

Víctor del Árbol was born in Barcelona in 1968 and was an officer of the Catalan police force from 1992 to 2012. As the recipient of the Nadal Prize, the Tiflos Prize, and as the first Spanish author to win the Prix du Polar Européen, he has distinguished himself as a notable voice in Spanish literature.

Reviews for A Million Drops

[Karen Chandler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

WOW! this a a well written book that shows how hard it was to live as a communist in the early years. It captivates you and you don't wantpur to put it down the characters draw you In and maintain interest.

[annette Lane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good read , a bit long but worth itv

[Ian Causi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome book. Similar to Robert Littell the company. A great look into the past, in between World War I and World War II.

[Andrew Douglas · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story feels like a Murakami want-a-be at first, then drags on and loses its way. By the time we learn the fates and truths of the main characters they (and I) are pretty tired.
The reading as an audiobook contributes to this experience by sounding forced and confused. Most characters share harsh, heavily accented voices that become indistinguishable: Russian, Catalan and Scottish! A good case for a reader opting for no character voices at all

[Constance Sahlmark · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this author! Wish more of his books were translated because his stories are so rich, detailed. Excellent writing.

[Elise Richer · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Unlistenable. This might be a great book to read on your own but the narration with the crazy accents is excruciating to hear. Who on earth approved this?

[Rebecca Hayes · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story is rrrrrriveting, but the narration nearly ruined it for me. I could have done without the ridiculous accents. It was like listening to cartoon characters trying to narrate a serious story and failing. Think Count Chocula meets Frito Bandito! Whoever produced this should be sent to Siberia. Sentences and full chapters running on without pause. I finally made it through, considering finding the book for a reread but it may already be ruined.

[Una Ambros · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Sorry, can't listen to the narration. It's very grating - a mixture of silly accents and robotic narrative. Will check out if it's available as a book.

[Mariam Shah-Rais · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Riveting page turner set against a historical backdrop from the infamous Nazino camp in the Soviet Union, to WWII, and Spain during and after the dictatorship. The story moves back and forth in time and the devastating events in the lives of its characters bear witness to the monstrous inhumanity people can succumb to when desperate for survival and how old wounds inform our choices in life. However, the narrator reads without pause between passages as though it were the continuation of the previous theme, and is awful at pronouncing foreign names such as Proust (which he pronounces as Prowst) and imitating accents. It did not ruin the book but it could have been a much stronger and more effective audio experience.

[Stephanie Kaywork · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Everything about this book was cyclical. From the beginning of each generations story you get pieces of the person who was and how they came to be the hero or the villain they ended up being. The story rises and returns like a wave, you reach the peak and the narrator brings you back down, circling back to the pieces of the story you've heard, and then giving you more, and more.
I loved it, I hated it (Nazino), and I want to listen to it again now that I have the full picture so I can imagine every character in action as I came to know them from beginning to end.

[Dian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When reading a book like this you have stop think wonder if people can be so wicked and dark it was not a easy story to listen to all the characters in this story can't be trusted and I mean all is a really sad book , the narrator reads a little to fast but still did great job

[Winston Green · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderfully written. Complex character profiles. Unrelentingly dark. Ultimately unrewarding for the time invested.

[Barry Weber · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a complex but incredibly well written book. it contained multiple characters as they live their lives over time and each one was richly crafted. It also contained a continuous story of good and bad leaving it up to the reader to understand.

[Jeff Stutz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Long but VERY good. Lots of information going back in forth between the past and present. I recommend!

[Michael Lawrence · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a hard story, not for the faint of heart. It was written and translated such that the writing never got in the way of the story. It asks some important questions about our humanity I think, and it has piqued my curiosity about world history and made me want to take a hard look at many things I just took for granted.

[Debbie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book. Sometimes I get a book not knowing what it’s really about, and it’s not until I get closer to the end I realize it’s a true story. It took me a while to understand what was going on, I don’t blame the writer, sometimes I’m a little slow like that. ☺️

[R. SCH · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I love dogs, as soon as he said something about dog fighting, I was done.☹