Talk Talk

Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle. I've always been drawn to Boyle's novels - they are literary and intelligent, but still plot-driven and entertaining. I picked up his latest and found myself immediately pulled into the plot which involved a deaf woman (Dana) who becomes the victim of identity theft and then becomes obsessed with finding the thief after being let down by the justice system. On one level it reads like a suspense novel, and the description of the crime of identity theft and the criminal justice system itself is disturbing. But most compelling was the depiction of being deaf and trying to communicate in a hearing world. That really felt real to me. The plot follows Dana and her hearing boyfriend as they track the criminal clear across the country from California to the Hudson valley in NY state, familiar Boyle territory. The villain is another vividly drawn character - a former restaurant owner who fell on hard times, he is a materialistic sociopath with an anger-management problem. He learns the basics of identity theft while serving time in prison for assault, and pursues this crime to maintain a materialistic lifestyle full of fancy possessions. These things become his entire identity which he will do anything to protect, with total disdain and disregard for anyone else. The whole book played with ideas of personal identity and what they mean, but I felt somehow let down and confused by the ending - not sure what conclusion to draw. - Linda