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A Better Life

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A Better Life

By: Lionel Shriver
Narrated by: George Newbern
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About this listen

‘A superb satirical novelist’ WASHINGTON POST

In a provocative novel addressing contemporary immigration by the sharply observant Lionel Shriver, a New York family takes in a Honduran migrant – who may or may not be the innocent paragon she claims to be.

‘An incendiary provocateur’ EVENING STANDARD

‘A gleeful satire on the immigration debate’ THE TIMES

Gloria Bonaventura, a divorced mother of three living with her 26-year-old son Nico in a sprawling house in Brooklyn, decides to participate in a new city programme – Big Apple, Big Heart – that would pay her to take in a migrant as a boarder. Gloria is thrilled when sweet, kind, helpful Martine arrives. But Nico is sceptical. A classic live-at-home, unemployed Gen Zer with no interest in adulthood, Nico resents the indignity of moving from his self-contained basement flat and back into his childhood bedroom.

As the months go by, Martine endears herself to both Nico’s sisters, while finding her way into Gloria’s heart. But as Martine’s disturbingly dodgy compatriots begin to show up, Nico grows only more hostile to both his mother’s altruism and the ‘migrant crisis’ in general – though turns out to be anything but a reliable narrator himself.

©2026 Lionel Shriver (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Political Satire World Literature Heartfelt Witty

Critic Reviews

‘A gleeful satire on the immigration debate’ THE TIMES

‘Master of the neat twist’ DAILY EXPRESS

‘Shriver's hard-headedness and willingness to say controversial things are refreshing’ PROSPECT

‘An acerbic comedian’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Shriver is brilliant’ THE TIMES

‘A formidably sharp writer’ EVENING STANDARD

‘Shriver has the gift for making one instantly curious’ OBSERVER

‘A writer who wants us to think more, probe more, challenge more — and who also makes it fun’ SUNDAY TIMES

All stars
Most relevant
The second book I've listened to from this author didn't disappoint - looking forward to more.

2 from 2

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Loved this book! It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion…compelling, arresting, exciting, but bound to end in a few tears. The story may be challenging for more liberal/woke listeners, but as a man from a third world country, what Schriver has painted in this book is a very real possibility…best pay attention

Compelling storyline

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The depiction of men, good effort but missed the mark. a women just doesn’t quite get the mind of men and fundamentally what drives them. It was obvious that the author wrote what a woman imagines the workings of a man’s mind to be, this was the only failing of this novel. Apart from this it was horrifying to witness the tragedy unfold which really shocked moved me.

The idiocy - The treachery - The tragedy

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The critics disliked this, but I’ve always enjoyed Shriver’s wit and sharp, analytical mind: her choices of topic which are always current and deserve a good skewering. Migration is her target. Set in New York, which appears to be welcoming a flood of migrants with open arms and many benefits ( early 2020’s) Gloria Bonaventura, a middle class liberal with a social conscience and a good heart, takes in a Honduran refugee, Martine Salgado, who soon becomes indispensable and a trusted friend. Nico, the Gen Z son, a qualified engineer who doesn’t want to work, ever, is distrustful. When brutish Diego arrives, then Alfonso, then a group of thuggish henchman, they take the house over, eating, drinking carousing to loud Punta music. It all goes horribly wrong. Ok, Shriver is extremely right wing, but she’s funny and often accurate. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The narrator, male, American, pretty good apart from a few glaring mispronunciations, but probably only noticed by pedants like me.

Immigration, a re-think

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the resources nico referenced were right on point. from the coddling of the American mind to the madness of crowds it had it all

very current

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.