Ahoy there me mateys! I received this science fiction eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here are me honest musings . . .

Title: crosstalk

Author: Connie Willis

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

Publication Date: currently September 15, 2016 (in UK) and October 4, 2016 (in US)

ISBN: 9781473200937

Source: NetGalley

I had only read one novel thus far by this author. It was The Doomsday Book and it was seriously one of the best books I have ever read. If ye haven’t read it, ye should. So when I saw that she had a new book out on NetGalley with an interesting premise, I wanted to read it. Luckily, I was approved. Yay!

And, overall, I highly enjoyed this book. The standout of this novel is the ideas behind social media and the need for our society to be connected at all times. The main character, Briddey, is supposed to get a procedure called an EDD with her partner Trent which will allow them to experience a “deeper” connection by feeling each other’s emotions. Only when the procedure has been completed, the results have unintended consequences like nothing Briddey could have imagined.

The results of Briddey’s EDD and how it ends up “working” were really what made me continue to read. A lot of books that deal with connected minds tend to showcase only positives. This novel deals with the negative ideas of being connected at all times, and I thought it did a fantastic job of showing how horribly things could go. Not that all consequences were bad in the novel. Technology has the power for both good and evil. I love the internet, my mobile, and GPS tracking. I wouldn’t want to give them up. I love being able to get in touch with the planet when I want to. However, I do try to maintain a good balance between reading about life and experiencing it.

This novel, for me at least, had fantastic concepts, silly banter, twists in the plot, and some truly loveable characters. I adored the character Maeve because she was inquisitive, intelligent, precocious, and just plain fun. I loved C.B.’s steadiness and how the viewpoint of him changes with time. I did however have some problems with the main character of Briddey. Despite her portrayal in the beginning of being smart and strong, she was the weak link of the book for me. She seems to always need saving, be more than two steps behind at all times, have no idea of what she wants, and she lets other people always dictate her life. Now while I sympathized with her situation, I wanted her to take charge at some point and be her own person. She never really seemed to get there. I mean sometimes while reading I would think “Seriously Briddey how dense are you?” But her flaws did not ruin the book for me because I loved the concepts and did have to know how it ended.

I am glad I got to read this novel and definitely would recommend this to any of me crew who likes books that delve into the effects of technology and the “what ifs” of the future. But if I ever have to the choice to get an EDD, I will pass!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Orion Publishing Group!

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