Review: Talking At Night by Claire Daverley
A gorgeous novel that effortlessly nails both the exhilarating rush and trepidation of first love, Daverley's debut charts the burgeoning romance between Will and Rosie. Talking At Night is a tender and lyrical debut, shortlisted for the 2024 Nota Bene Prize.
Will and Rosie meet as teenagers.
They're opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother's wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer - destined to be one another's great love story.
Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.
But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can't help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.
What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can't let go?
REVIEWED BY EMILY GOULDING
Will and Rosie meet when they’re teenagers. She’s smart, studious, and under pressure from her family and herself to live up to expectations. He’s wild, elusive, and her twin brother’s friend. But somehow they just know that this is it. As they grow closer, destined to be the loves of each others lives, it seems inevitable that they’ll get together. Until tragedy strikes and they’re forced apart. But over the years they return to each other over and over again, questioning just whether they’ll ever be able to let each other go.
Talking at Night is a real example of a word-of-mouth book – something that has done as well as it has because it’s been passed between friends, family, colleagues, partners – you name it, it’s probably been there. That’s often how you know a book is really special; when readers can’t stop speaking about it, and lending it to those they love. And Talking at Night is loved for good reason. It’s sensitive and poignant, with beautiful writing on grief, love, and everything that comes in between those two things. I was totally enraptured by it. I started it one night and I couldn’t sleep so I picked it back up, but ended up finishing the entire book that night – not good for my sleep schedule, but very telling on how powerful a story it is.
I love a love story, and this is a Love Story for the ages. But more than that, it’s a life story. It’s the tale of what happens outside of rom-coms; when an ending can’t be tied up neatly with a bow, and when the love that you want is one that you have to fight for.
Talking at Night is Daverley’s debut novel, and it’s written with such emotion and skill that I can only wonder at what she’ll write next. I for one, can’t wait.