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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A cleverly plotted story about truth and fiction.
Gabriel Noone has become famous for reading stories on the radio - he calls them "feel-good penny dreadfuls" (Ch 2) which might be a decent description of this novel. He is contacted by Pete, a boy who has written a book about his childhood hell, sexually abused by his parents, pimped out to men, and forced to make gay porn videos. Gabriel an ageing gay man whose long-term partner has just left him, finds solace in his chats with Pete. But is this telephone relationship quite what it seems to be?
Right from the start, the narrator warns us that he is "a fabulist by trade" and that he embellishes even true stories. He warns Pete against confusing Gabriel's reality with the characters in his radio stories. So the reader knows that Gabriel is an unreliable narrator although the full extent of his duplicity is not revealed until the very end. But how much truth is there in what Pete says? Is lonely Gabriel falling for a hoax perpetrated by an even more unreliable narrator? How much do any of us really know the truth about anything?
That's why I wasn't keen on the Afterword which, rather like the final seven minutes of the film Saltburn, spills the beans with heavy explication. In the case of this book, the justification might be that, by explaining things, it leaves the reader with an even greater realisation that the author has been economical with the actuality. And at least it preserves the core ambiguity.
The plot is nicely woven with the subplot of Gabriel being abandoned by his partner Jess who is trying to 'find himself'. It's nicely paced with clever twists culminating in a snow-bound journey, a sort of Hero's quest in that otherworld Americans call up-state Michigan. I don't think I was ever surprised by a major twist - they were well-signalled and the only twist I missed I felt was an unnecessary way to crank up the tension - but my motivation to keep reading was partly because I was expecting the twist and I wanted to know whether my expectations would be confirmed. At first I was disappointed by the ending: I wanted resolution and I felt its lack was because the author himself couldn't decide which of two possibilities to endorse. On second thoughts, however, I think the ambiguous ending was probably intended from the start and I like the way it finished (though I still have my doubts about the Afterword).
It is narrated in the first person which makes the uncertainties more visceral and the past tense. I have previously found that this author has an expectation that the reader shares his cultural milieu, for example with references to commercial products (such as Triscuits, the Castro, a Rocky and Bullwinkle cel) presumably to maximise verisimilitude for his home audience but which confuse those outside, but in this book these were usually - and unobtrusively - explained.
The narrator is portrayed as someone perhaps a little too sensitive, and gullible, for his own good. Jess, the boyfriend, is a rather shadowy character. The antagonist, though not in the villain sense, is Pete, whom we only know through his phone calls. He is too good to be true. He is in his early teens, having been sexually abused from babyhood. He has had syphilis and now has AIDS. There is no suggestion of PTSD. Instead, he is an occasionally vulnerable tough guy making jokes with a surprisingly wise head on young shoulders, offering relationship advice to the much more needy Gabriel. The father and son stuff, which I found really creepy given that Pete had been repeatedly raped by his biological father, came far too soon. It also seemed unlikely that he should be such a brilliant writer. From the start, I found it difficult to believe in Pete as a character.
The author includes a great mass of detail about his own life and the narration abounds with little incidents, such as the woman on the plane. These things underpin the verisimilitude and I was totally sold on Gabriel's father and Gabriel's broken relationship and all the everyday stuff. This is quality fiction. But it was also necessary because Pete's story was so unlikely that it had to be anchored. This wasn't totally successful.
It is very much structured in three acts. The first act is about making contact with Pete (at 8%) and the relationship becoming deeper. A big question mark arises at 37% and we move into the second act in which uncertainty is the theme. The third act is mostly the 'hero's quest' with a final twist at the 85% mark.
It was quick and easy to read and very entertaining. The plot was cleverly constructed and I liked the theme although I'm still in two minds about the Afterword. The biggest flaw was in the antagonist.
Gabriel Noone has become famous for reading stories on the radio - he calls them "feel-good penny dreadfuls" (Ch 2) which might be a decent description of this novel. He is contacted by Pete, a boy who has written a book about his childhood hell, sexually abused by his parents, pimped out to men, and forced to make gay porn videos. Gabriel an ageing gay man whose long-term partner has just left him, finds solace in his chats with Pete. But is this telephone relationship quite what it seems to be?
Right from the start, the narrator warns us that he is "a fabulist by trade" and that he embellishes even true stories. He warns Pete against confusing Gabriel's reality with the characters in his radio stories. So the reader knows that Gabriel is an unreliable narrator although the full extent of his duplicity is not revealed until the very end. But how much truth is there in what Pete says? Is lonely Gabriel falling for a hoax perpetrated by an even more unreliable narrator? How much do any of us really know the truth about anything?
That's why I wasn't keen on the Afterword which, rather like the final seven minutes of the film Saltburn, spills the beans with heavy explication. In the case of this book, the justification might be that, by explaining things, it leaves the reader with an even greater realisation that the author has been economical with the actuality. And at least it preserves the core ambiguity.
The plot is nicely woven with the subplot of Gabriel being abandoned by his partner Jess who is trying to 'find himself'. It's nicely paced with clever twists culminating in a snow-bound journey, a sort of Hero's quest in that otherworld Americans call up-state Michigan. I don't think I was ever surprised by a major twist - they were well-signalled and the only twist I missed I felt was an unnecessary way to crank up the tension - but my motivation to keep reading was partly because I was expecting the twist and I wanted to know whether my expectations would be confirmed. At first I was disappointed by the ending: I wanted resolution and I felt its lack was because the author himself couldn't decide which of two possibilities to endorse. On second thoughts, however, I think the ambiguous ending was probably intended from the start and I like the way it finished (though I still have my doubts about the Afterword).
It is narrated in the first person which makes the uncertainties more visceral and the past tense. I have previously found that this author has an expectation that the reader shares his cultural milieu, for example with references to commercial products (such as Triscuits, the Castro, a Rocky and Bullwinkle cel) presumably to maximise verisimilitude for his home audience but which confuse those outside, but in this book these were usually - and unobtrusively - explained.
The narrator is portrayed as someone perhaps a little too sensitive, and gullible, for his own good. Jess, the boyfriend, is a rather shadowy character. The antagonist, though not in the villain sense, is Pete, whom we only know through his phone calls. He is too good to be true. He is in his early teens, having been sexually abused from babyhood. He has had syphilis and now has AIDS. There is no suggestion of PTSD. Instead, he is an occasionally vulnerable tough guy making jokes with a surprisingly wise head on young shoulders, offering relationship advice to the much more needy Gabriel. The father and son stuff, which I found really creepy given that Pete had been repeatedly raped by his biological father, came far too soon. It also seemed unlikely that he should be such a brilliant writer. From the start, I found it difficult to believe in Pete as a character.
The author includes a great mass of detail about his own life and the narration abounds with little incidents, such as the woman on the plane. These things underpin the verisimilitude and I was totally sold on Gabriel's father and Gabriel's broken relationship and all the everyday stuff. This is quality fiction. But it was also necessary because Pete's story was so unlikely that it had to be anchored. This wasn't totally successful.
It is very much structured in three acts. The first act is about making contact with Pete (at 8%) and the relationship becoming deeper. A big question mark arises at 37% and we move into the second act in which uncertainty is the theme. The third act is mostly the 'hero's quest' with a final twist at the 85% mark.
It was quick and easy to read and very entertaining. The plot was cleverly constructed and I liked the theme although I'm still in two minds about the Afterword. The biggest flaw was in the antagonist.
The Night Listener was definitely engaging and unusual, and not quite what I expected it to be. But overall it left me a bit cold. Maybe I'm just not that much of a fan of ambiguity, which the book is all about. I like answers.
I liked it but I had a few problems with the ending, I feel like everything from the 87 percent mark to 95 percent point could've been cut out, especially considering what happens in the afterword. I also really enjoyed how this connected to the Tales of The City series.
My only other problem is the way that the main character's father is written, I know he's not suppose to be a good person but he didn't have to say the N word so many times throughout the book.
My only other problem is the way that the main character's father is written, I know he's not suppose to be a good person but he didn't have to say the N word so many times throughout the book.
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sarà solo un altro dei suoi “Romanzetti d’appendice pieni di buoni sentimenti”, ma sembra sempre di tornare a casa.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Terminal illness
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was good. I picked up this book because I saw the movie a few years back. I though it was good, the book was better. Of course, I was left hanging, I don't know if Pete existed or not.
This was really good! Unfortunately I knew what the twist was thanks to an un-spoilered Goodreads review. But I still enjoyed it and literally had to put the book down for a minute when the twist was revealed, it was so shocking. And I knew it was coming! I can't imagine my reaction if I hadn't known! Great read!