The Listener

Malcolm Dowd is almost positive he recognizes the freshman who shows up for a session at his office in Baxter Colleges Center for Behavioral Healthhe just cant place her. When suddenly she stands, takes off her wig, and reveals herself as Noah, the young man Malcolm had been treating months earlier, it marks the start of a relationship that will change them both. After losing his wife at a young age, Malcolm dedicated himself to giving his two daughters the stable, predictable childhood he never had. But now nothing is predictablenot his young adult daughters, not himself, and certainly not Noah. Whether hes attending class or rehearsing for the campus musical, Noah finds hes often challenging everyones definition of gender. During the course of one semester, Noahs and Malcolms lives become entwined in ways neither could ever have imagined. Told alternately from Malcolms and Noahs perspectives The Listener explores the ways in which we conceal and reveal our identities. As truth after truth is exposed, characters are forced to reconsider themselves and reorder their lives, with few easy answers to be found for anyone. The Listener is, ultimately, about the power of human connection and the many shapes that love can take.