Few love stories burn as quietly - and as devastatingly - as the one at the heart of Talking at Night. This book is not for those that wish for a simple star-crossed lovers story to pass their time. This demands your attention, and it does it flawlessly. This debut novel perfectly captures the journey through love, grief and the human mistakes we all make.
Plot Points
I will not be delving deeply into the plot to avoid spoilers for you guys out there that haven’t read this (yet) but I will be discussing the overall themes of the book and where it hit me the hardest. This book takes a spin on the traditional ‘opposites attract’ trope and turns it into a realistic story spanning the lives of seemingly-ordinary people. Claire manages to envelop you into a cocoon - realistic enough to be aware that this is not a fairytale, yet protected from it enough that you don’t expect what will happen. Now anyone who has read this book will know what I am hinting at, but for those who do not, let me explain without giving too much away. This book tackles more than a long-lost first love between two teenagers. It tackles grief. Real, painful, unexpected grief. And the way it does this is, in my opinion, well done. It’s sudden, when I turned the page, I didn’t anticipate what was about to happen, which fits really well in her writing style whereas in another novel it may have felt rushed or choppy. Here, it dealt with the topic exactly what was needed. The accident wasn’t important, it was the aftermath that she put focus into. How the characters were fundamentally changed and how the world around them carried on. This novel follows the characters throughout their lives, from being a young teenager to an adult, and the way they were written to incorporate the grief into who they were without making it seem over-dramatic* (not that it really exists within grief)* or repetitive. As you read, you see Rosie and Will grow in a way that feels natural and organic. They mature in a way I find hard to fully appreciate in other books I read.
Claire also delves into other life-changing events that Rosie goes through, or is involved in throughout the story, which is really nice to see. It doesn’t steer away from tough topics and it does it in a down-to-earth realistic way. You don’t believe there is any plot armour - because there isn’t.
Writing Style
To be honest, I went into this book unsure if I would even manage to finish the first chapter. And this was due to a murmur that I had heard on social media about the author - Claire Daverley - and that was the fact she uses no punctuation to separate her speech from the rest of the text. This, before delving into the book, was something I felt mixed on, and had rarely managed to finish a book with this writing style. I know there are some books that manage to do it well, but for the most part, I’m cliche. I like a book that writes the way I am used to. But, this author nailed the style of writing it takes to lack punctuation around the speech. She nailed the fluidity, the pacing and the immersion into the life of the main characters. As I spoke about above, the way she handles the (extremely) rough topics throughout the book holds such power and paves the way for more understanding. I find often books will over-dramatise these topics, or make them feel less impactful by the way it is written about. Talking at Night doesn’t do this.
Within the love story itself, I (more times than I am willing to admit) felt those cute butterflies in my stomach or caught myself smiling at the page. It simply felt right.
What I Loved
I think by now you have realised there is a lot I love about this book, but by far the thing I loved the most was its ability to handle sensitive topics in a way that is appropriate and still all-consuming for the reader. 10/10 for that easily. I didn’t feel like I was in a different universe when reading this, I felt that this could have easily been a story from a neighbour down the street, and that makes it so much more impactful for me.
Rosie, Josh and Will all felt like real people I would meet (or see in the mirror in Rosie’s case). I felt myself relating to them all in different ways, and I believe they will be reminiscent of someone that most people know, especially as the book progresses.
What I Didn’t Love
Despite what you may think by this point, there are things I didn’t adore. As I spoke about before, the lack of speech punctuation made it harder for me to delve into, and although her writing style fits with that, it’s hard for me to sit here and tell you it wouldn’t have been easier for me to get into if there had been speech marks.
Aside from this, I also found that the main characters, at the start, may be difficult for people to root for. They aren’t bad people, but for the first few chapters they can appear quite black-and-white. Until we start delving into the meatier part of the book, and learning more about their motivations, hopes and dreams, I feel like some people that may want more from their main characters at the start of the book will be feeling slightly disappointed.
Recommendation
Overall, I would recommend you read this book if you are in a headspace where you can handle sensitive topics, like grief, loss or illness. I also would recommend it to those who also do not usually like the writing style. Take a chance on it, and if in 100 pages it still doesn’t mesh with you, then feel free to pawn it off on a friend that isn’t as bothered. Which was exactly my mindset before going into it, and now it is proudly displayed on my bookshelf.
Songs
Now everytime I read this book again, it feels like there is a new song that comes to mind. So here is a (relatively) small collection of songs that remind me of the vibe of the novel.
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus by Taylor Swift
Twenty-Something by Aidan Bisset
Frida Kahlo by Still Woozy
The Night We Met by Lord Huron
Sea of Love by Cat Power
I Found by Amber Run
Moon Song by Phoebe Bridgers
Youth by Daughter
(P.S. We made them links so feel free to click on them and get teleported straight into the vibes.)
