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Talk Talk | 
 enlarge | Author: T.c. Boyle
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $11.43
You Save: $14.52 (56%)
New (6) Used (7) Collectible (1) from $6.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 74462
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
ASIN: B0015VT2MA
Publication Date: July 6, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Publishers ink mark on bottom edge.
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Book Description
The bestselling author of The Inner Circle and Drop City returns with a timely new novel about a woman in desperate pursuit of a man who has stolen her identity The first time Bridger 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 Dana's expense. And as Dana and Bridger set out to find him, they begin to test to its limits the life they have started to build together. Talk Talk is both a thrilling road trip across America and a moving story about language, love, and identity from one of America's finest novelists.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...
 has the author's identity been stolen too? May 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After reading T.C. Boyle's Drop City (excellent) and A Friend of the Earth (solidly good) it's hard to believe that Talk Talk was written by the same author. The novel's two principal characters, Dana and Peck, are insufferable caricatures motivated only by their uncontrollable anger, and the supporting characters are all passive and flatly one-dimensional. Boyle treats the subject of deafness with some sensitivity, and the identity theft information initially captured my interest, but both of these elements are merely used for dress and never developed to the support of significant themes. In fact the book doesn't appear to have any themes at all, other than the tedious ramifications of egoic anger unleashed. The great bulk of many chapters is actually devoted to describing the often ostentatious dietary preferences of the characters.
There is also a glaring plot problem early in the book. Dana is arrested for crimes apparently committed by someone using her identity, but when we're actually introduced to the thief, we learn that he is an exceedingly careful criminal who avoids committing crimes that would draw attention to his operation. This inconsistency is never explained. And though the characters' meal menus have been meticulously constructed, the book as a whole feels rather rushed and sketchy, the boorish screenplay story for a see-thru chase thriller. This is so unlike the engaging, complex qualities of Boyle's other books that one suspects he crapped out Talk Talk in order to meet a too-soon deadline. I only finished this novel because I was on a long flight with nothing else to read, and would rush to buy you another book if I saw you boarding a plane with this one. Talk Talk isn't even good for cheap thrills!
 Disappointing February 18, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Talk Talk starts promisingly, but runs out of steam after the first 50 pages or so. A minimal plot gets lost in a sea of words. Characters don't come to life. There's no real pay off at the end (or anywhere else, for that matter--I kept waiting for something to happen!). Even Dana's deafness, the central point of her character, isn't particularly relevant, thematically. Switching back and forth between Peck and Bridger/Dana was more annoying than illuminating. At the end, I'm hard pressed to say what the book was about. I read this at the same time that I read an Elmore Leonard novel from the 80s (Freaky Deaky). That book uses a similar narrative technique, switching back and forth between the bad guys and the good guys, with the difference that the characters are more interesting, the plot has momentum, and I wanted to keep reading--in short, good escapist fiction. My guess is that T.C. Boyle was unsure what he wanted to accomplish with this effort, and consequently accomplished very little. I'm a little surprised as the number of glowing reviews here. Are they reviewing the book or the writer's reputation?
The title should scare you away February 17, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Life is simply too short to spend any part of it reading things that are less than edifying. If you own a vintage MG, there is an excellent repair manual, printed in England, bound in oilcloth, long out of print, that I highly recommend. Now that is edifying. And so it goes; you may have a beloved cookbook on the preparation of organ meats....you know, brains, kidneys, intestine. This is something worthwhile, although it is clearly not to everyone's taste.
But when it comes to fiction, one must pick and choose carefully; there is simply so much out there that is really good, that a week wasted on a work of prose fiction that does not move you should get you angry. T.C. Boyle is a competent writer; no, he is actually a pretty good writer, but is that enough for you? I am going to bet that as you, despite my recommendation, read the last page of this book you will wonder why you did not watch the latest episode of "America's Next Top Model" instead. Even if you think that is a waste of time, it is only an hour and you can crochet while watching, something that is difficult to do while reading a book. Mind you, it really isn't a "bad" book, just not up to snuff. This should not be the first Boyle book that you read. Try something else, e.g., "The Road to Wellville". Then you can say that you've read a Boyle novel and then go on to Flaubert.
Another worthwhile novel from T.C. Boyle February 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I didn't like this as much as I liked Drop City but it was a great read. I was kind of stressed out at the beginning because the ordeal of the deaf female protagonist was rendered so palpable by Boyle's masterful portrayal of circumstances...I settled into reading this and I couldn't put it down. I think I'm going to start regularly reviewing my credit reports. I don't like to write reviews that spoil the novel for the person just looking for a general feel of a book that they are thinking about reading, so I would say that you should read this if you are a Boyle fan and have read his other novels. If you haven't read any of his other stuff, at least read Drop City first, and maybe Tortilla Curtain and A Friend of The Earth. This is by far the most rolicking ride of those, but the backdrops--a jail cell, the open road traversing America from west to east, the insides of stale smoky bars, third rate restaraunts, and the depressing doldrums of a mother's dingy apartment...all leave one longing for fresh air. There's a little of that in the beginning, but always with such stress associated with it that you really want to get away into something very different when you finish this. Also, if you know nothing of deaf culture, this will be an eye opener for you. What little I know of deaf culture I learned from a deaf woman, so some of what was revealed in the book simply reinforced the knowledge that initially surprised and moved me profoundly regarding the deaf experience. I might recommend the book solely on that basis.
 The Boyle Train Keeps on Rolling February 11, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
In this book and in his career, Boyle never slows down. Boyle continues to build on his many strengths as a novelist in Talk Talk. While this novel starts out at an unprecedented pace, Boyle use a few sentences every now and then to slow things down and treat the reader to some virtuoso prose. Dana and Bridger's adventure is hectic, unpredictable, and fascinating. Peck, an unambiguous villain, is still a delightful character with whom anyone can relate.
Boyle's resolutions always make me close the book with a feeling of great satisfaction, and Talk Talk's ending was definitely no different. If you haven't yet read TC's work, this is a great introduction to his fantastic collection.
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