by Katie Barton | staff writer
Most people have probably listened to a podcast at some point in time: a true crime podcast on the way to work, listening to businessman talk about money or politics while on a long road trip. I personally listen to fiction podcasts. These podcasts are more like a TV show that you listen to instead of watch and they’re a great way to spend your time. During the recent power outages in Texas, I spent all my free time listening to a podcast called “Alice Isn’t Dead.”
Alice Isn’t Dead is a Horror Fiction podcast written by Joseph Fink and performed by Jasika Nicole. The podcast follows a woman named Keisha who becomes a truck driver to go in search of her missing wife, Alice, who she’d presumed to be dead. During her time as a truck driver she encounters the weird and disturbing realities of America’s most forgotten places. At a Diner, she sees a strange man, wearing a cap with the word “thistle” emblazoned on the front, eat another truck driver. When she goes to make a delivery to a factory by the sea, she meets a worker who seems to get older every time she sees him. She even finds herself stuck in a town called Charlatan repeating the same drive over and over again. These things all lead her closer and closer to uncovering the mystery of what actually happened to Alice.
This is probably my favorite podcast that I’ve listened to. It was a complete and complex story that lasted for about 30 episodes with a satisfying ending that left me crying. And I don’t cry often, so that’s definitely an accomplishment. One of my favorite things to see in media is good characters with solid character development and this podcast definitely has that. While the plot of this podcast was interesting, I was really pulled in by the characters. It doesn’t have a lot of characters, because for most of the story is told through us listening to Keisha talk to herself in her truck. However, every character that is put into this story has backstories and motivations that are intricate and fleshed out. Every character in this show serves a purpose, whether that be to explore a certain theme or to help further the plot. No character is just there to be there. My favorite character is a teenage girl named Sylvia. We meet her during season one of the podcast, and she has a similar story to Keisha. After witnessing the murder of her mother outside a gas station, by the man with the thistle hat, she decides to do everything she can to uncover the truth about the thistle man. Throughout the story we see her go from a lost teenager struggling to find a place where she fits, to a person who has found her place in this world. The characters and their emotions have a sense of realism to them and I found it very easy to relate to them. The people of this fictional world were definitely one of my favorite things about it.
I would give this podcast five stars. In my opinion it’s one of the best things I’ve ever listened to. I highly recommend it to both newcomers looking for something short to try out and people who have been listening to podcasts for years who just want a good story to spend their time listening to. The series is available on Spotify and most other major podcasting sites, and consists of three seasons and 30 episodes.
