Talk Talk

By: T. Coraghessan Boyle

Narrated by: T. Coraghessan Boyle

There’s more than one way to take a life…

The first time he saw Dana she was dancing barefoot, her hair aflame in the red glow of the club, her body throbbing with rhythms and cross-rhythms that only she could hear. He was mesmerized. That night they were both deaf, mouthing to each other over the booming bass. And it was not until their first date, after he had agonized over what CD to play in the car, that Bridger learned that her deafness was profound and permanent. By then he was falling in love.

Now she is in a courtroom, her legs shackled, as a list of charges is read out. She is accused of assault with a deadly weapon, auto theft and passing bad checks, among other things. Clearly there has been a terrible mistake. A man–his name is William “Peck” Wilson, as Dana and Bridger eventually learn–has been living a blameless life of criminal excess at her expense. And as Dana and Bridger set out to find him, they begin to test to its very limits the life they have begun to build together.

TALK, TALK is both a suspenseful chase across America and a moving story about language, love and identity, from one of America’s most versatile and entertaining novelists.

Critic reviews

“A tense thriller . . . Talk Talk opens at full throttle and never slackens.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Talk Talk stands out as nothing short of an uncomfortable masterpiece—as simultaneously overwhelming, treacherous, beautiful, and boiling over with hellacious revelation as its ultimate subject: life in twentieth-century America.”—Los Angeles Times

“Funny, engaging, and suspenseful.”—The New York Times

“His most exciting novel yet . . . Boyle knows how to drill down through the surface of everyday life into our core anxieties, and he knows how to write constantly charging, heart-thumping chase scenes.”—The Washington Post

“Boyle takes the reader on a wild ride. . . . No one writes better about the wages of American sin.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Starts off fast and never lets go . . . Boyle once again delivers an entertaining story with his usual laser commentary—about the way we identify ourselves and the role language plays.”—USA Today

“Outrageously talented . . . When Boyle finds the delicate balance between his over-the-top satirical impulses and his startling sentimentality, no American novelist can touch him. . . [Talk Talk] flies along on the power of Boyle’s propulsive and exquisitely perceptive prose.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A chilling literary thriller.”—New York Daily News

“A dandy novel, complete with the timely subject of identity theft. . . . Talk Talk rarely falters, the sentences sharp and the characters well defined.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Talk Talk makes the lurking danger of identify theft a dizzying reality. . . . A tricky novel of unlikely intimacies.”—O, The Oprah Magazine

get a professional reader

T.C. Boyle appeared on the Bob Edwards show this past Sunday and apparently said he really enjoyed reading his book, would keep doing it in the future and thought other authors should read their own books. I disagree. Except for some memoirs, like The Liar's Club and Runnng with Scissors, where the authors are telling their own life experiences can be meaningful AND well done, the reading should be left to a pro at reading/acting.

Boyle is in the first part of the book too rapid. He slows down some as the book goes on.

On substance, the protagonist and her boyfriend are barely tolerable. It is hard to sympathize with them. They whine constantly and are too self-absorbed. Boyle voice makes their whiny complaints worse. I know some people are like but not everyone. And to have all 3 main characters (the bad guy is the same, but you expect it from him) is unwelcome to a reader who wants to like somebody in the book.

The author has each of the 3 main characters asking themselves rhetorical questions in a complaining voice again about life's oddities probably 30 times for each one. Really irritating. Again, why all three?

Finally, the author doesn't do a credible or clear job of explaining how the identity thief has so much money and so many valuable assets.
Boyle is a great writer but at best this one should be read in the traditional hardcopy mode.

Worth the reading

The stroy of ID theft was current, interesting, and relevant if less than gripping. But Dana Halter, the main character, is deaf and that sets this story apart and makes it worth the "reading."

Too Much Talk

I'll give this book a 4 out of 5, because the narration was just over-the-top too fast. I know it is read by the author, so the speed must reflect his intent, i.e. breathless suspense, but I did not enjoy the listen. The story was superb but the author/narrator just outpaced his own content. Anyone with a pacemaker should have it checked and stock up on any anxiety meds before starting this book! It leaves you breathless, and not in a good way. Many of the images and metaphors were just thrown away.

And while I don't really like to quibble about endings, as things have to turn out one way or another, I thought this one was under-developed.

But still an excellent listen, and very well-crafted, with vivid images and strong character development.

Great story!

Well written, fully developed characters including the villain. Ending could have used a bit more brio, but overall a very good read. Author reads well, as well as any trained actor!

Talk Talk -- Listen!

This was a wonderful book to commute to. I almost looked forward to driving to work every day! Another T.C. Boyle book with a gripping plot, great character development; very visual.