One of the strongest stories to air on NSP in recent years. I need to let it simmer a bit longer […] before using words like “masterpiece,” but I can imagine feeling confident applying a term like that eventually.
When Baby Boom was accepted, they did warn me that it was possible that it would be broadcast as a subscriber bonus, and in the end that was what happened: anyone who clicked the link and tried to skip forward to the timestamp my story starts at finds that the podcast stops. It is flattering to think that my story was good enough to make people paying to listen to the podcast feel their money was well spent, but it did also mean that it was only being heard by a sub-section of the subscribers. And it’s already a small subset of subscribers who feel the urge to write reviews.
Of those few that did review, all of them were very pleased with the production and the performances, a sentiment that I can only echo. Most, however, struggled to follow what was going on in what was a particularly complex story. However, one reviewer who was intrigued enough to give the story another listen and see if he could catch any more of the hints dropped in there found the experience particularly rewarding. As you can see above, he really enjoyed the story, and wrote a lengthly review that explained what he’d pieced together (so beware spoilers, if you’re that way inclined) and then contacted me here to point me at it. I’m glad he did, because it’s one of the more lovely reviews of my career.
Even the people who were confused by the story were in their own way playing me a compliment: I had intended for the story to be subtle rather than spell out too clearly what was going on. I may have to do some thinking about whether that was a wise decision or not, but at least I know it was a successful one. But that one review from a listener who made a little more effort with it than might be expected gives me hope that the approach wasn’t completely wrong-headed.