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 … 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
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I love Connie Willis’ books! Her sense of humor comes through in most of her novels and Crosstalk is no exception. She looks at the current world of over-sharing and how we’re all so connected and takes it to another level! A fun story that makes you want to put your phone on “do not disturb.”
This was a fun one. I normally don’t read anything that looks/sounds like a star-crossed lovers type of thing, but the scifi aspect intrigued me. I’m glad I read it. The story was interesting enough to keep me turning the page.
There is no such thing as a bad or mediocre book by Connie Willis. Her work is consistently entrancing and often so funny my snobby, literary sister loves it(the dissertation on Emily Dickinson). This book is not her most brilliant but it’s close enough.
What can I say….another Connie Willis masterpiece! This book targets our current and future obsession with communication. She takes the simple cell phone one step further. Miss Willis uses her wonderful sense of humor in writing this book and I had a marvelous time reading it. It will really make you stop and think about where technology could be heading and do we really want to go there. Great fun!!
Wordy although I moved through the book to find out the end. Interesting storyline but I did skim in many areas as I wanted the characters to get on with the story.
Love this book (the audio is great, too!)
I loved this novel!
I’m a huge fan of Connie Willis’s writing, and this one is definitely on the shelf I go to when I need to be cheered up and distracted. It’s sweet, romantic, funny…but also smart and acerbic in its commentary on…well, on a lot of things.
Quirky interesting read on what real love actually is versus our outline of the “perfect mate” I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next in Crosstalk. I love a book that makes me think and is a blast at the same time! I Love, love, love Connie Willis!
A hilarious book about the pitfalls of social media and being “wired” for no good reason. Connie Willis is a master storyteller.
This should be catagorized as a teen novel. TWait, maybe teens need more stimulation when reading. he characters are shallow and the writing is very simple.
Fun, but takes a while to really get going….
Connie Willis does it again. The mood she sets in the beginning is so realistic of the world of communication that I found it nearly overwhelming. But once the story is set up, it slows down enough to let you get a second breath, and from there on it is entirely entertaining. The family characters she builds are hilarious, and the bad guys are very, very bad.
Did not care for it.
Kind of a slow start, but it turned out to be a fun read.
Not her best work
Really enjoyable read! Funny and heartwarming (with some heartbreak too) and definitely re-readable.
Didn’t know Connie Willis. Am reading more of her books after enjoying this one.
Connie Willis is just a terrific writer who creates interesting characters, worlds and premises. This one made the idea of “up close and personal” a real issue worth examining carefully.
I always like Connie Willis’ work. She picks up on the things in our society that can be ridiculous and turns it into a kind-of sci-fi story.