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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
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 4, 2016 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780345540683
- File size: 2022 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780345540683
- File size: 2026 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
May 30, 2016
SFWA Grand Master Willis’s first novel since 2010’s Blackout/All Clear is a rollicking send-up of obsessive cell phone usage in too-near-future America. A brain-altering medical procedure designed to enhance lovers’ abilities to connect emotionally goes spectacularly haywire for Commspan employee Briddey Flannigan, who’s besieged by her ultra-intrusive Irish-American family, and her fellow employee Trent Worth, a rising star at the tech company. Instead of being linked to Trent, Briddey finds herself telepathically hooked up to C.B. Schwartz, Commspan’s lab-dwelling supernerd. Their connection sets off an extended chain of interpersonal misunderstandings, hilarious coincidences, and sad-but-true reflections on our fixations with digital gadgetry, which can threaten and prevent genuine intimacy. Willis’s canny incorporation of scientific lore, and a riotous cast of stock Irish-American characters who nevertheless manage to surprise the reader, 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. Agent: Chris Lotts, Lotts Agency. -
Kirkus
Think smartphones and social media are threatening privacy? Imagine if you could hear everyone's thoughts--and they could hear yours.In her new novel, Hugo and Nebula winner Willis (All Clear, 2010, etc.), a master of door-slamming, hide-behind-the-furniture farce, takes as her theme cellphones--or, more broadly, what therapists refer to as "boundary issues." The protagonist, Briddey Flannigan, works at a small communications technology company where everyone is always in each other's business. Briddey has agreed to have an EED--a minor neurosurgical procedure--to enhance her emotional connection with her boyfriend, Trent Worth, a square-jawed up-and-comer who's working on the company's next-gen smartphone and hints he'll propose to her if the operation goes well. The office gossips may be swooning over Trent, but Briddey's equally intrusive extended family members--which includes Aunt Oona's chapter of the Daughters of Ireland--have their own strong opinions about brain surgery and suitable husbands. Dodging phone calls and selling white lies suddenly gets a lot harder when Briddey starts hearing voices in her head and realizes that her private thoughts aren't so private after all. Is it the second sight? True love? Schizophrenia? A breakthrough in smartphone tech? Maybe--but mostly it's a critique of modern society and an unsurprising metaphor for the perils and joys of human connection.In other hands this novel could have been mere cliche, but Willis' exuberant humor and warmhearted, fast-paced plotting transform it into a satisfying, if old-fashioned, romantic comedy. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Library Journal
Starred review from August 1, 2016
Would you undergo brain surgery if it meant a deeper emotional connection with your lover? When Trent, Briddey Flannigan's boyfriend, asks her to get an EED--a procedure to open emotional pathways between two people--she agrees, despite her family's disapproval. While Briddey is used to her Irish American relatives meddling in all aspects of her life, she is surprised when coworker C.B. Schwartz tries to stop her from getting the EED as well. The operation does not go as planned, leaving Briddey telepathically joined to C.B. instead of emotionally bonded to Trent. Willis, SFWA Grand Master and Hugo Award winner for her time-travel duology, Blackout and All Clear, returns to the lighter romantic comedy she did so well in To Say Nothing of the Dog. Still, that is not to say that there isn't some scalpel-sharp skewering of cell-phone addiction and our obsession with being connected. While Briddey's family initially comes across as over the top, Willis makes it work as the story builds steam. VERDICT A fun, romantic near-future romp from a sf master. [See Eric Norton's "Genre Spotlight" feature, p. 24ff.--Ed.]--MM
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Booklist
Starred review from September 1, 2016
SFWA Grand Master Willis returns to farcical romantic comedy (and timely social satire) in this near-future novel. Briddy Flannigan, an executive at Apple rival Commspan, knows that keeping secrets is futile when social connectivity is a global obsession. Hours after boyfriend and coworker Trent Worth proposes, they undergo the hip new minor enhancement procedure, called an EED, that links lovers emotionally, and Briddy is bombarded with digital congratulations. Only her meddlesome Irish American family and C. B. Schwartz, Commspan's eccentric, basement-dwelling genius, object. Naturally, the EED misfires: instead of Trent, Briddy gets connected to C. B., and instead of emotions, she gets telepathy. With C. B. in her head, Briddy has more secrets than ever. Briddy's persistent internal monologue is funny, vulnerable, and skeptical, but as she tosses off lie after lie, she reveals the gulf between surface connections and true intimacy we all struggle to fill. C. B. is a gleefully manic presence, given to passionate tirades on everything from Hedy Lamarr to Lucky Charms. Alongside the central romance, Willis lampoons such diverse elements as helicopter parenting, corporate espionage, and Internet dating. This novel is full of Willis' trademarksthematically rich storytelling, fascinating historical trivia, quick-witted repartee, and plausible speculative technologyand has fun with them, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.) -
Kirkus
August 1, 2016
Think smartphones and social media are threatening privacy? Imagine if you could hear everyones thoughtsand they could hear yours.In her new novel, Hugo and Nebula winner Willis (All Clear, 2010, etc.), a master of door-slamming, hide-behind-the-furniture farce, takes as her theme cellphonesor, more broadly, what therapists refer to as boundary issues. The protagonist, Briddey Flannigan, works at a small communications technology company where everyone is always in each others business. Briddey has agreed to have an EEDa minor neurosurgical procedureto enhance her emotional connection with her boyfriend, Trent Worth, a square-jawed up-and-comer whos working on the companys next-gen smartphone and hints hell propose to her if the operation goes well. The office gossips may be swooning over Trent, but Briddeys equally intrusive extended family memberswhich includes Aunt Oonas chapter of the Daughters of Irelandhave their own strong opinions about brain surgery and suitable husbands. Dodging phone calls and selling white lies suddenly gets a lot harder when Briddey starts hearing voices in her head and realizes that her private thoughts arent so private after all. Is it the second sight? True love? Schizophrenia? A breakthrough in smartphone tech? Maybebut mostly its a critique of modern society and an unsurprising metaphor for the perils and joys of human connection.In other hands this novel could have been mere clich, but Willis exuberant humor and warmhearted, fast-paced plotting transform it into a satisfying, if old-fashioned, romantic comedy.COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Formats
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