When I picked up Crosstalk by Connie Willis from the library last week, it was a leap of faith. Willis is an author who I always think I should like but, in reality, I find most of her books incredibly frustrating. Of the five I’d read, the only one I’d really loved was Doomsday Book and, to be fair, I really, really do love it and spend a significant portion of my time trying to push it on unsuspecting acquaintances. My love for it almost makes up for how disappointing I’ve found most of her other books. I’m still disgusted with the lazy mediocrity of Blackout and All Clear, books that felt so promising and delivered absolutely nothing.
But I remain hopeful. And this time I am happy to say that my optimism paid off: Crosstalk was delightful.
Set in the near future, we meet our heroine Briddey Flannigan just after her boyfriend of only a few weeks has proposed they undergo the very trendy EED procedure, which purportedly allows couples to feel one another’s emotions and use this as the basis for building deeper, more emotionally transparent relationships. It is, her gushing coworkers remind her, a very big and very romantic gesture. Only C.B., the office tech geek and communications skeptic, seems to think it is a bad idea.
All too quickly, Briddey finds herself undergoing the procedure. But when she wakes up, it is not Trent, her boyfriend, whose emotions she can sense. It’s C.B. And more than that, she finds they have a telepathic link. But soon it’s not just C.B.’s voice she hears in her head and, rather than a blessing, the ability to hear other people’s thoughts quickly comes to seem like a curse that could drive her mad.
There are a few trademark weaknesses in the story. It is overlong, like many of Willis’ books. Some of the plot twists are so clearly flagged beforehand that you almost become impatient waiting for the reveal. And it gets a little too wrapped up towards the end in the imaginary structures created by each of the telepaths (there is in fact no need to invite a fellow telepath over to explore your imaginary garden when you are both physically standing in the same room. Just saying).
But those are minor quibbles. The most important thing about Crosstalk is that it is gloriously fun. Fast-paced and full of delightful banter, it is a wonderful romantic comedy wrapped in a sci-fi plot. The best of all possible combinations.
I also loved The Doomsday Book so much! This one sounds good — thanks for the review.
It’s VERY different from Doomsday Book but so much fun.
I’m glad to hear she follwed up Blackout / All Clear with something completely different. I couldn’t finish the duology, but it sounds like I would enjoy this.
I think you would. It’s not perfect but it’s so enjoyable – very different from the Blackout/All Clear mess.
Thank you! I, too, love Doomsday Book, and am unable to even like some of the others. (Lincoln’s Dreams, however, is another all-time favorite.) I’m going to give CrossTalk a try.
Great! And perhaps I should give Lincoln’s Dreams a try – I’ll put it on my list.
The only Connie Willis book I’ve read was Passage, but that was over a decade ago. I appreciate this review, because I’ve been seeing this one pop up a lot lately, but must admit you have me more interested in trying out the Doomsday Book. 🙂 You usually never steer me wrong.
I recommend them both. Crosstalk was perfect for my fun, wind-down-the-week, Friday night reading whereas Doomsday Book is absorbing and emotional and requires a full book of tissues. I love it and hope you feel the same!
Yay! So glad to hear this is good! I have been curious 🙂
[…] for actual reviews, I’m kind of behind on reading them, but I was intrigued by The Captive Reader’s review of Crosstalk by Connie Willis. While Claire says that there were some weaknesses to quibble about, […]
I enjoyed Bellwether – thought it was a fun read.