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A review by afrathefish
Talking at Night by Claire Daverley
4.25
SO.
this book was absolutely gorgeous. the first third of it especially... it was one of the most wonderful pieces of written work that perfectly captured that myriad time between sixth form and starting university. the writing felt so visceral at times that you could almost taste the air at certain points; it was one of those books that literally took you away to a different plane of existence.
i think it so perfectly captured that tension... that almost electricity that sits in the air when you're first drawn to someone, especially at that age. it also wonderfully depicts the different factors that come into play when you're at that age; how your friendships, your school system, everything around you shifts your interactions with the world.
the characters were the most surreal experience - they felt both blurry and vivid at the same time. they felt distinct; you understood their personalities and their emotions, but admittedly through a blurry lens. they were very strongly fleshed out at the beginning; however, as they weave in and out of eachother's lives, while they feel distinct at every period that they meet at, they dont feel as strongly carved out as they do when you first meet them, and i wish each stage was just slightly more emphasised.
the impact of one's decisions as a whole, and how the most minute of decisions can metastasise into the most varied of results is so wonderfully explored here. at times, i felt that the characters at their core had not changed necessarily, but the way and weight of their decisions determined how they would be presented the next time you met them felt almost intentional, and honestly blew my mind. also the ever-evolving nature of adulthood, and the reality that we have evolving dreams that change overtime was beautifully explored too.
ugh it would have been an absolute 5* for me if the quality of the first 100 pages remained consistent throughout the rest. minor tweaks prevent that from happening, but alas, its a love story that i'll return to many times.
also . more talking at night pls !! and make this into a movie !!
this book was absolutely gorgeous. the first third of it especially... it was one of the most wonderful pieces of written work that perfectly captured that myriad time between sixth form and starting university. the writing felt so visceral at times that you could almost taste the air at certain points; it was one of those books that literally took you away to a different plane of existence.
i think it so perfectly captured that tension... that almost electricity that sits in the air when you're first drawn to someone, especially at that age. it also wonderfully depicts the different factors that come into play when you're at that age; how your friendships, your school system, everything around you shifts your interactions with the world.
the characters were the most surreal experience - they felt both blurry and vivid at the same time. they felt distinct; you understood their personalities and their emotions, but admittedly through a blurry lens. they were very strongly fleshed out at the beginning; however, as they weave in and out of eachother's lives, while they feel distinct at every period that they meet at, they dont feel as strongly carved out as they do when you first meet them, and i wish each stage was just slightly more emphasised.
the impact of one's decisions as a whole, and how the most minute of decisions can metastasise into the most varied of results is so wonderfully explored here. at times, i felt that the characters at their core had not changed necessarily, but the way and weight of their decisions determined how they would be presented the next time you met them felt almost intentional, and honestly blew my mind. also the ever-evolving nature of adulthood, and the reality that we have evolving dreams that change overtime was beautifully explored too.
ugh it would have been an absolute 5* for me if the quality of the first 100 pages remained consistent throughout the rest. minor tweaks prevent that from happening, but alas, its a love story that i'll return to many times.
also . more talking at night pls !! and make this into a movie !!