A review by brittanymccubbs
Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This story follows Rosie and the two most important people in her life - her twin brother Josh, and his friend Will. We see Rosie and Will move through many different relationships throughout their lives. Their love stretches from romantic to friendship to no contact. This book exemplifies what it means to be a human, living in a messy world, and trying to find your place. Over the course of multiple decades, we get to see how Rosie and Will shift to be what the other person needs. We get to see Rosie chase her dreams, her desires, and find out what it is she truly wants out of the world.

As someone in their 20s, this book helped remind me that life is long. We can reinvent ourselves over and over again. People can come in and out of our lives, and what we want now might not be what we want in 10 years. Or 20 years. And that’s okay. Nothing is permanent. This book reminds us that life is fragile and short, and we should only be doing what we want to do, not trying to live up to other people’s standards, or do what we think seems right in the world.

This book is reminiscent of Normal People by Sally Rooney, but it holds its own as an emotionally charged work of art. I loved this book so much and I think it really, truly is just a human book. This is real fiction. It’s what happens when two people come together in various ways time after time, and the way tragedy, love and grief shape us.

I practically SOBBED when I read the part about Josh dying. I did not expect that at all and ooooof.
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