Perhaps best known in the UK for Doomsday Book, her timeslip SF novel set at the time of the Black Death, this award-winning American author is back with something very different and very engaging. Set in the present day Crosstalk is easy on the science but deftly deals with issues around technology that are changing society and perhaps even us. It is set in the world of the mobile phone industry and revolves around Briddey a young and high-powered exec who finds herself at the centre of a technological development that could have ramifications for us all.
The EED is an implant that allows the user to sense the feelings of their partner. So when Briddey’s new lover, Trent, suggests they get the implants it feels like an amazing expression of love and commitment – to know your lover’s feelings; what could be better? But with the EED in place Briddey quickly realises that she can sense not just Trent’s feelings but also hear his thoughts. And if she can hear his thoughts…
Willis’ novel feels as if its pulled from today’s headlines and it plays on our fascination with social media, with our need to be connected, to be wired in at all times. It’s a love story that asks important questions about how we live today and would be an ideal read for fans of Matt Haig. At its centre Briddey and her overbearing family who thrive on connection and want to know EVERYTHING is a wonderfully engaging creation. ~ Simon Spanton
Briddey is about to get exactly what she thinks she wants . . .
Briddey is a high-powered exec in the mobile phone industry, overseeing new products from concept ('anything to beat the new apple phone') to delivery. And she works with her wonderful partner, Trent. They've been together for six magical weeks, in a whirlwind of flowers, dinners, laughter and now comes the icing on the cake: not a weekend away or a proposal but something even better. An EDD. A procedure which will let them sense each other's feelings. Trent doesn't just want to tell her how much he loves her - he wants her to feel it.
Everything is perfect.
The trouble is, Briddey can't breathe a word of it to anyone (difficult, when the whole office is guessing) until she's had two minutes to call her family. And they're hounding her about the latest family drama, but when they find out about the EDD - which they will - they'll drop everything to interrogate her. And it might just be easier to have the procedure now and explain later.
Only Apple are poised to deliver an amazing new product and she has to be one step ahead . . . if she can only persuade their tech genius, C. B., to drop his crazy ideas about a 'privacy phone' with its 'do not disturb' settings, and focus on what people really want: more efficient, instinctive and immediate ways to communicate.
The race is on: not just for new, cutting-edge technology, but also for a shred of privacy in a public world and - for Briddey - a chance for love at the heart of it all.
This is a brilliant, heart-warming romantic comedy from one of the wittiest and wisest of our authors. Written with a light touch and a smile, we're swept up in Briddey's romance - and into the difficulties of a world just one technological step away from our own, as technology and social media blur (or indeed remove) the line between personal and public.
