TALKING AT NIGHT is one of the most beautiful and heart rendering books I’ve read in a long time. It’s a tale of first love but with a twist. It’s a coming of age story but so much more. If this is Claire Daverley’s debut novel, she has a long and brilliant career ahead.
I have long been searching for the kind of emotions that Sally Rooney’s Normal People evoked, and this book definitely elicited the same epic feelings. The author’s clever choice of writing without quotation marks might be controversial to some readers but I absolutely loved it.
This gorgeous story of Rosie and Will, as well as Rosie’s twin brother Josh, begins when they are sixth form students meeting on a beach one evening. Will, the school’s so-called bad boy, is completely entranced by the quiet, thoughtful Rosie.
Although Will is the most popular boy in school, he has very modest plans for the future as he has been in trouble with the law, dislikes school and feels somewhat trapped by his family situation. Rosie and Josh, on the other hand, have their bright futures completely mapped out for them by their controlling, Type-A mother.
The author’s beautiful prose kept me reading late into the night. The bond she builds between Will and Rosie is simply breathtaking. And sometimes heartbreaking. When a terrible tragedy occurs, Will and Rosie will be forever changed. Can their deep connection survive their changing lives?
“𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”
This book spans decades and there is romance and pain, and humor and sadness. I absolutely loved this book for the peaceful beauty of the love that Will and Rosie have. Yes, there are times that are completely maddening, where I was desperate for Rosie to stand up for herself. Through all that they experienced, and the journeys that sometimes kept them apart, the question remains: will their love finally bring them happiness?
Highly recommend this stunning debut!
(𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)
About the Book:
Secret walks and late-night phone calls. An undeniable chemistry. A tragedy that haunts them both. A powerful yet tender love story between two people who can’t help but be pulled back to one another, time and again
This is the story of Will and Rosie. Bad boy meets good girl, opposites in every way. They fall for each other as teenagers; nineties music, sideways glances, sunsets and bonfires and talking late into the night. It’s palpable, inevitable: they’re on the precipice of starting something wonderful. Until one day, tragedy strikes, and any possibility of being together seems to shatter.
And yet, time and again, Rosie and Will find their way back to each other. Though the years pass, they cannot quite let go of what might have been.
Talking at Night tells a story of sudden connections, missed opportunities, the many loves we have over a lifetime–and the one that keeps us coming back, again and again, for more.
