Crosstalk
Ratings24
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings24
Average rating3.6
Science fiction icon Connie Willis brilliantly mixes a speculative plot, the wit of Nora Ephron, and the comedic flair of P. G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk—a genre-bending novel that pushes social media, smartphone technology, and twenty-four-hour availability to hilarious and chilling extremes as one young woman abruptly finds herself with way more connectivity than she ever desired. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal—to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don’t quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely—in a way far beyond what she signed up for. It is almost more than she can handle—especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that’s only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love—and communication—are far more complicated than she ever imagined. Praise for Crosstalk “A rollicking send-up of obsessive cell phone usage in too-near-future America . . . [Connie] Willis’s canny incorporation of scientific lore, and a riotous cast . . . make for an engaging girl-finally-finds-right-boy story that’s unveiled with tact and humor. Willis juxtaposes glimpses of claimed historical telepaths with important reflections about the ubiquity of cell phones and the menace that unscrupulous developers of technology pose to privacy, morality, and emotional stability.”—Publishers Weekly “An exhilarating and laugh-inducing read . . . one of those rare books that will keep you up all night long because you can’t bear to put it down.”—Portland Book Review “A fun technological fairy tale.”—BookPage “One of the funniest SF novels in years.”—Locus
Reviews with the most likes.
[b:Bellwether 24985 Bellwether Connie Willis https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431535122s/24985.jpg 1194887] floored me when I first read it twenty years ago; it's still one of my favorite works, one I reread and enjoy periodically. Deliciously absurd, smart, tender, and eminently believable. We recognize the characters and their situations.I'm crushed to report that Crosstalk isn't so much absurd as ridiculous. Uncomfortably so: imagine a three-hour-long Fawlty Towers movie, the manic pace, the constant deceptions and miscommunications; make the characters flatter, driven more by plot requirements than anything internal; toss in periodic doses of improbable magic; that'll give you a sense of whether you want to read this or not. I found it painful. You know the show, don't tell rule? Willis tells too much without enough showing; the reader is simply dragged along for a too-long ride.But, enough. We all have our duds, I won't spend too long griping; I write this simply as a heads-up to any friends considering reading Crosstalk. Try one of her other books instead.
My original note said “Connie Willis wrote a new novel! It's about telepathy and our overcommunicated world! “ It's also about helicopter mothers, social media, Joan of Arc, sugared cereals, Bridey Murphy, online dating, zombie movies, Victorian novels, and those annoying songs you get stuck in your head and can't get rid of!” I want it RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” So, let's be clear: I think it was literally impossible for any book to match how high my expectations got.
And it is a good book: Connie Willis at her Connie Willis-est: using some soft sci-fi, comedy of manners and a heavy dose of rom-com to develop a pointed parable on Issues of Our Time (in this case, cellphones and over-connectivity.) And it's fun, but perhaps because I've read basically everything she's ever written, it felt like re-reading a Willis novel, rather than its own brand new thing. I knew the beats, I could predict what would happen at each turn. And it was warm and cozy and fun, but not new.
Also, the genetics were crap. That's not what recessive means and the telepathic pedigrees definitely weren't compatible with an AR gene. Next time, go for autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance – great for most hand-wavy situations. Even better, Connie, next time you want to write a novel on the genetics of telepathy? Call me! I still love you!
Briddy Flannigan is thrilled when her boyfriend Trent wants them to get a new technology implanted that is supposed to bring them even closer together. But when she starts hearing someone else instead of Trent she is very confused. Does it mean that Trent is not her soulmate? Is it the other person. Along with add her very intrusive Irish family who bug her constantly at work, at home. She cannot think straight.
The first part of the book seems a bit slow but around the 1/3 mark it picks up and then I really enjoyed the ride.
I love Connie Willis enough that I was willing to give a rom-com a try, but in the end, it wasn't for me. I do love her humor, musical references, and style. The sci-fi parts are quite fun, and it picks up a lot after the mid-point, but the trappings of the genre are just not what I enjoy. Great fun if you're into rom-coms, but she has a lot of better sci-fi if you aren't.
