Okay, let’s be real for a second. I downloaded this book for exactly two reasons.
First, the title. Idiot. It felt... let's just say it felt spiritually aligned with my mood after trying to negotiate with a two-year-old who insists that pants are "prison for legs." (She's not wrong, but we still have to wear them, Sophie).
Second—and this is the big one—it’s two hours and eighteen minutes long. That’s it. That’s the review.
Just kidding. But seriously, finding an audiobook I can actually finish in the span of three days of school drop-offs and a singular, miraculous nap time feels like winning the lottery. I didn't need a 40-hour fantasy epic. I needed something short, sharp, and funny to keep me awake while I waited in the car line.
The "Idiot" is Actually the Smartest Guy in the Room
So, here’s the setup. It’s a boarding house. Breakfast table. A bunch of people with very serious titles like the School Master and the Poet are trying to have a meal, and then there’s this guy they call the "Idiot."
Except he’s not. At all. He’s basically the original internet troll, but polite and from 1895. He takes everything they say, twists it with this hyper-logical nonsense, and drives them absolutely bananas. It is delightful.
It reminded me of those corporate meetings I used to sit through (back when I wore blazers and drank hot coffee) where one person clearly sees through the corporate jargon and just decides to have fun with it. The humor is dry—like, Sahara dry—but it holds up. It’s witty banter. It’s low stakes. Nobody dies, nobody gets their heart broken. It’s just people getting owned at the breakfast table.
The Voice in My Ear
Now, about the narration. Gregg Margarite. I hadn't listened to him before.
I did a quick Google (while waiting for the microwave to beep) and saw some people complaining that he doesn't use an English accent. The book feels very British in its sensibilities, so I guess I get the complaint? But honestly—who has the energy to be that picky?
Gregg (we’re on a first-name basis now) has this warm, clear, slightly amused tone that works perfectly. He sounds like he’s in on the joke. He’s not doing a theatrical performance with sound effects and dramatic gasps. He’s just reading the story with good timing.
And let me tell you, comedic timing is everything when the sentences are this old-fashioned. If you pause in the wrong place with 19th-century sentence structures, the whole thing turns into word salad. But he nailed it.
I listened at my usual 1.25x speed, and it was smooth sailing. No weird breathing noises, no jarring volume changes. Just a solid, comforting voice that made me chuckle while I was scraping dried oatmeal off the high chair.
Is It Worth Your Nap Time?
Look, is this going to change your life? No. It’s not groundbreaking literature that will make you rethink your existence. But sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you just need to listen to a smart-aleck outwit a bunch of snobs for two hours.
It’s the perfect palate cleanser between heavy thrillers or those parenting books I buy and never actually read. It survived being paused about 12 times during the "School Master" chapter (Lucas couldn't find his left shoe, crisis ensued), and I could jump right back in without feeling lost.
If you like dry humor, or if you just need a win in the form of a finished book, grab this. It’s short, it’s funny, and the "Idiot" is the hero we all need when we're surrounded by people who take themselves too seriously.
(Plus, you can tell your partner you finished a classic work of literature this week. Just don't mention it was shorter than a Marvel movie.)
