Old Soul

De: Susan Barker

Narrado por: George Blagden, Jill Winternitz, Olivia Vinall

The Historian meets Under the Skin in this searingly provocative literary horror novel about one woman’s determination to stay alive at any terrifying cost.

In Osaka, two strangers, Jake and Mariko, miss a flight, and over dinner, discover they've both brutally lost loved ones whose paths crossed with the same beguiling woman no one has seen since.

Following traces this mysterious person left behind, Jake travels from country to country gathering chilling testimonies from others who encountered her across the decades—a trail of shattered souls that eventually leads him to Theo, a dying sculptor in rural New Mexico, who knows the woman better than anyone—and might just hold the key to who, or what, she is.

Part horror, part western, part thriller, Old Soul is a fearlessly bold and genre-defying tale about predation, morality and free will, and one man’s quest to bring a centuries-long chain of human devastation to an end.

©2025 Susan Barker (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A haunting story of grief and ghosts and the ways the past stays with us.” —Lit Hub

"[A] sweeping work of literary horror. . . The slow-burning tension and lush, atmospheric prose build a creeping sense of dread that lingers long after the final page. Fans of both the deeply personal speculative horror of Carmen Maria Machado and the subtle, character-driven mystery of Haruki Murakami will be enthralled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Old Soul is perfect read for the chilly depths of winter: a clever, spooky metaphysical mystery that spans continents—and even planets. Susan Barker’s novel kept me guessing until the end. You’ll never look at Venus quite the same way again.” —Chloe Benjamin, author of The Immortalists

Creepy and good

Loved that I was surprised at the end. Looking forward to more by this author.

Stunning

Best new novel I’ve read in years. I will read anything Barker writes going forward.

Terrifying Thought

If one has an open mind about supernatural possibilities, the story is terrifying - both the antagonist and her victims are sad. Neither are free from the Tyrant.
This story is one that I've not heard of before. I have read very few stories about skinwalkers, but none have been like this. I'm not sure if this is a "true" skinwalker, but the evil seems awfully similar.
The character descriptions and their stories were well written. I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narration was well done.
I'd recommend this book.

Good story but…

The story definitely kept my interest but I couldn’t help but be distracted by the “German accent” that was much more of a Russian accent. Strange.

Interesting!

I really enjoyed trying to figure out where this story was going. It could get a little confusing at times because of the change in narrators in different time periods. Multiple character’s stories unfold but not necessarily sequentially. It creates an unease too, almost like the confusion and determination the first character finds in this discovery. Great job!

Excellent Story

I stayed up all night to finish this book. It stays with you after its done.

Vulgar at random times; no real value

This was my second most disliked book on audible after 150+ books. I think it was the last 2 hours that had me confused and a bit grossed out. Glad the books over and I won't be recommending it.

Not for me

Audible got it way wrong in suggesting this for me. I struggled to finish but kept it up hoping the plot would come together. Regrets.

not great

didn’t like the ending. hit me over the head … just didn’t work for me. disappointed

The reflection of humanity with confusion

The jumping with no transition and flipping of characters and timeline in the story. It’s sudden and takes a few minutes to figure out where you are supposed to be in the narrative. When you catch up, it’s great. Then you are lost again. I don’t want to work this hard if I am not reading Melville, Fitzgerald or Jane Austin from another time period. That’s expected. Struggling with a modern author, is disappointing. I kept backing up thinking it was me. Nope. Good premise but bad execution.