Award-winning writer-performer Natasha Hodgson is set to narrate Skipshock, the latest novel by New York Times bestselling author Caroline O’Donoghue.
Hodgson, co-writer and star of the Olivier and Tony Award-winning musical Operation Mincemeat, brings her dynamic voice to this genre-defying fantasy audiobook. She originated the role of Ewen Montagu in the West End and is currently reprising it on Broadway, where the show opened in March 2025 to rave reviews and four Tony nominations.
O’Donoghue and Hodgson share a long-standing friendship, and Skipshock is dedicated to Hodgson—making this possibly the first audiobook narrated by the person to whom the book is dedicated.
“Collaborations like these are one of the great pleasures and privileges of working in this industry,” said Caroline O’Donoghue. “Tash was the first friend I made when I moved to London, and she was the first person to read the early fragments of Skipshock. From the beginning she pushed me to pursue the idea and became such a supporter of its first drafts that I wound up dedicating it to her. Her own show, Operation Mincemeat, has been one of Skipshock’s biggest influences (both works are VERY concerned with corpses, bureaucracy, found family, workplace dynamics and men’s tailoring) and so it feels both deeply magical and strangely fitting that she has now become the voice of the book. Audiences who were impressed by her ability to do 50+ characters in a two-hour show are going to be amazed with what she can do with a 400-page long audiobook.”
Natasha Hodgson added: “Every new Caroline O’Donoghue book is my favourite Caroline O’Donoghue book but this one really is my favourite Caroline O’Donoghue book. An entirely new world, a war, a love story, so many funny bits and an absolute gift for an actor like me. If there’s one thing I love, it’s playing difficult men, and I’m delighted to be doing that once again with this book’s narrator, the dashing and mysterious salesman Moon. I cried about 6 times recording Skipshock because of just how much these characters mean to me, hoping that doesn’t come across.”
Skipshock follows Margo, who slips into another dimension while on a train to Dublin. She meets Moon, a mysterious salesman, and discovers a universe where time is a resource—fought over, protected, and deadly to navigate. Their fates intertwine as they journey through interdimensional worlds, each with its own time zone.
To celebrate the audiobook release, Caroline O’Donoghue and Natasha Hodgson will appear at The Strand in New York City on Sunday 7th September for a special discussion. Tickets are available here.
O’Donoghue will also speak at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, DC on Saturday 6th September, alongside Ransom Riggs. More details here.
More UK and Ireland events are expected to be announced soon.
The audiobook of Skipshock, produced by W.F. Howes and narrated by Natasha Hodgson, will be released on 16th September and is available for pre-order on Audible.
