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If You Were There
- Missing People and the Marks They Leave Behind
- Narrated by: Francisco Garcia
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
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If You Were There
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Summary
A powerful, evocative and deeply personal journey into the world of missing people.
When Francisco Garcia was just seven years old, his father, Christobal, left his family. Unemployed, addicted to drink and drugs and adrift in life, Christobal decided he would rather disappear altogether than carry on dealing with the problems in front of him. So that’s what he did, leaving his young wife and child in the dead of night. He has been missing ever since.
Twenty years on, Francisco is ready to take up the search for answers. Why did this happen, and how could it be possible? Where might his father have gone? And is there any reason to hope for a happy reunion? During his journey, which takes him all across Britain and back to his father’s homeland of Spain, Francisco tells the stories of those he meets along the way: the police investigators, the charity employees and volunteers, the once missing and those perilously at risk around us, the families, friends and all those left behind.
If You Were There is the moving and affecting story of one man’s search for his lost family, an urgent document of where we are now and a powerful, timeless reminder of our responsibility to others.
Critic reviews
"One of the non-fiction books of the year." (Andrew O’ Hagan)
"It had me rapt. A compassionate and dogged work of journalism and memoir that will stay with me." (Maeve Higgins, author of Maeve in America)
"I was blown away by this book’s gentle wisdom and incredible research. You will love this amazing book." (Megan Nolan, author of Acts of Desperation)
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What listeners say about If You Were There
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- monica
- 21-11-21
fantastic
A moving, generous and very well-written piece of reportage: it mixes the deeply personal with a social portrait of austerity Britain. Great narration from the author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steven Green
- 15-05-21
Really great piece of work
it's good to have something more thoughtful committed towards missing people. all too often the subject is treated as true crime cold case style storytelling, which I'm finding more gaudy as time goes by. the author's first hand experience with the subject comes across as considered and philosophical and he weaves the many aspects of someone going missing with great care and attention. really enjoyed this, felt a connection with the big city loneliness that rumbled throughout just underneath.
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