I’m not old enough to know what it was like to sit around the radio at night and listen to a good story without a visual, but ever since I started listening to the Serial podcast, I see the appeal.

The Serial podcast is a single story per show, that adds up to tell one larger one. It’s a series of episodes surrounding the murder of a young teenage girl back in 1999, with a narrative that flows like a true crime detective novel, except it’s all true.

That’s right, the entire thing is non-fiction.

It’s kinda like Dateline, only you feel like you’re the detective looking for answers.

I first heard about it through my cousin Jackie, who posted about it on Instagram on Facebook. Just a day or two before she did, I’d been asking the universe to give me something to listen to for my work commute, which is usually totally and utterly boring, leaving me with nothing but my anxiety-infused thoughts. I was previously listening to Wayne Dyer’s audio book, but as soon as I’d finished it, I was in the mood for something a bit more engrossing. I needed to step away from the metaphysical for a few days, because I could feel myself losing grip on the reality that was going on right in front of me.

I think the metaphysical understood, because true to the universe’s nature, it delivered me Serial in the form of my cousin Jackie. After the second or third time she mentioned it, I decided to give it a listen.

I was instantly hooked. Murder? Mystery? Good sound quality? I’m IN.

The podcast is narrated by Sarah Koenig, and is made by the producers of This American Life. According to Gizmodo, it’s the “fastest podcast to reach 5 million downloads and streams in the history of iTunes.”

They pretty much stated that so many people are listening to it, that if you’re not listening to it, you’re in the minority. There’s even an entire reddit column dedicated to it, which I refuse to look at because I’m afraid of spoilers. I’ve also heard there’s a YouTube parody of it as well, which I’m also too afraid to watch because I love this so much and I don’t want to dwell on its faults or watch it being silly-fied.

The interesting thing too is that Serial isn’t anything new, it’s just a good fucking story. And that’s what draws me in so much. It’s the journey of trying to figure out whether the guy who killed this teenager is innocent, and the way it’s told really makes you feel like you are a participant somehow, allowing you to draw conclusions at the same time that the narrator does.

[Tweet “The interesting thing about #Serial is that it isn’t anything new, it’s just a good fucking story.”]

And oddly enough, listening to this podcast has really helped me control my anxious thoughts while driving to and from work. In fact I’m so into the story that it makes my anxiety seem like a whiny child that I actually have to shush because it’s distracting me from the story.

You see that realization there? I actually have the ability to shush it.

Now I’m excitedly anticipating the drive home tonight so I can listen to it all the more. I’m so obsessed with it that I’m strategically not listening to it so I can savor it and have something to look forward to on my commute.

So in the meantime, I’m spreading the word. It’s like a new show to get obsessed with, only you can listen to it anywhere.

So if you’re not looking for a new podcast, listen to it.
And if you are, listen to it.
And if you don’t have a phone and don’t feel like downloading anything, listen to it online for absolutely free.

You’ll love it. And let’s chat about it after your addiction becomes real. I’d love to hear what you think

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Monique Muro

Monique is an exceedingly happy human from LA. She runs the blog A Novel Quest, and writes. A lot.

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