Crosstalk: A NovelScience fiction icon Connie Willis brilliantly mixes a speculative plot, the wit of Nora Ephron, and the comedic flair of P. G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk—a genre-bending novel that pushes social media, smartphone technology, and twenty-four-hour availability to hilarious and chilling extremes as one young woman abruptly finds herself with way more connectivity than she ever desired. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal—to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don’t quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely—in a way far beyond what she signed up for. It is almost more than she can handle—especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that’s only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love—and communication—are far more complicated than she ever imagined. Praise for Crosstalk “A rollicking send-up of obsessive cell phone usage in too-near-future America . . . [Connie] Willis’s canny incorporation of scientific lore, and a riotous cast . . . make for an engaging girl-finally-finds-right-boy story that’s unveiled with tact and humor. Willis juxtaposes glimpses of claimed historical telepaths with important reflections about the ubiquity of cell phones and the menace that unscrupulous developers of technology pose to privacy, morality, and emotional stability.”—Publishers Weekly “An exhilarating and laugh-inducing read . . . one of those rare books that will keep you up all night long because you can’t bear to put it down.”—Portland Book Review “A fun technological fairy tale.”—BookPage “One of the funniest SF novels in years.”—Locus |
Contents
Section 15 | 234 |
Section 16 | 256 |
Section 17 | 290 |
Section 18 | 300 |
Section 19 | 313 |
Section 20 | 323 |
Section 21 | 339 |
Section 22 | 358 |
Section 9 | 123 |
Section 10 | 139 |
Section 11 | 151 |
Section 12 | 186 |
Section 13 | 199 |
Section 14 | 221 |
Section 23 | 382 |
Section 24 | 392 |
Section 25 | 402 |
Section 26 | 414 |
Section 27 | 499 |
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Common terms and phrases
able afraid already answer Art Sampson Aunt Oona brain Briddey asked Briddey thought Briddey's Bridey Murphy Charla Commspan connected courtyard crosstalk defenses Dr.Verrick emotionally bonded emotions Facebook feeling Flannigan getting Gilligan's Island going gone grabbed hair hand happened head heard Hermes Project hospital idea inside Irish Kathleen keep knew listening looked Lyzandra Maeve Maeve's Mary Clare mean meant meeting messages mind minutes movie need to tell neural pathway never night nodded nurse okay opened the door pick pulled radio remember safe room Sean O'Reilly sending shut sleep smartphone someone sorry sound stacks stairs started stopped Suki sure surgery talk telepathy tell Trent Thank theater there's thing told took Trent trying turned Verrick wait walked wall watching What's whispered wondered worry wrong Yeah Zener cards zombie