Crosstalk
Connie Willis
Rating: 4.5/5
From Goodreads:
Briddey is about to get exactly what she thinks she wants…
Briddey is a high-powered exec in the mobile phone industry, overseeing new products from concept (‘anything to beat the new apple phone’) to delivery. And she works with her wonderful partner, Trent. They’ve been together for six magical weeks, in a whirlwind of flowers, dinners, laughter and now comes the icing on the cake: not a weekend away or a proposal but something even better. An EDD. A procedure which will let them sense each other’s feelings. Trent doesn’t just want to tell her how much he loves her – he wants her to feel it. Everything is perfect. The trouble is, Briddey can’t breathe a word of it to anyone (difficult, when the whole office is guessing) until she’s had two minutes to call her family. And they’re hounding her about the latest family drama, but when they find out about the EDD – which they will – they’ll drop everything to interrogate her. And it might just be easier to have the procedure now and explain later. Only Apple are poised to deliver an amazing new product and she has to be one step ahead …if she can only persuade their tech genius, C. B., to drop his crazy ideas about a ‘privacy phone’ with its ‘do not disturb’ settings, and focus on what people really want: more efficient, instinctive and immediate ways to communicate. The race is on: not just for new, cutting-edge technology, but also for a shred of privacy in a public world and – for Briddey – a chance for love at the heart of it all.
I need to be upfront: Connie Willis is my all-time favourite author and I love her. Her books are perfect.
I waited an agonizing six (SIX!!) whole years to get my hands on this book and it was worth it. I would wait another six years to get this sort of amazingness again (well, I’m incredibly impatient person so while I would wait, I wouldn’t do it quietly).
Crosstalk was one of her lighter and hilarious books. It wasn’t gutwrenching like Doomsday Book or Passage; it had a similar tone and atmosphere as To Say Nothing as the Dog. Like all of her books, there was always a sense of urgency and panic. Mix that in with trademark Willis wit, missed messages, franticness, and hiding from people and you’ve got exactly what I love about her books.
The EED was an interesting — and also slightly terrifying — piece of tech. It actually reminded me a lot of Deanna Troi’s Betazoid abilities in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Crosstalk was an adorable and comedic experience. While I didn’t have a book hangover that lasted a week like I did with Passage, I turned the last page with a huge smile on my face. She is one of the few authors who can give you a heart attack with tension but then make you laugh out on the next page.
And that’s why Connie Willis is my queen.
She should be your queen too: (Book Depository / Amazon US / Amazon Canada / Amazon UK)
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.