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Double Talk
Double Talk tells the story of Violet Budd and Brian (Baby) Power, two characters fleeing
from their past. Brian is ambling after an immigrant’s dream, and Violet is desperate to ditch
her middle class origins for something more earthy and bohemian. Their contrary social and
geographical flight paths intersect in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the early 1980s, where, for a
time, they find love, sex, and a safe haven in each other.
No happy-ever-after story, Double Talk follows Violet and Brian over a fourteen-year period,
starting at the end instead of the beginning, as the ordinary pressures of life bring to the surface
the many differences that exist between them. Double Talk is a coming-of-age novel, a love story
and an examination of social class and its mysterious codes.
“double talk walks the double walk, as Warner masterfully and compassionately dissects the relationship of Violet and Brian. double talk begins at the end, ends in the middle, and keeps you engrossed throughout – a tour de force of the novelist’s art.”
“It moves. It’s a page turner.”
“All in all an interesting, if not wholly satisfying, read.”
“While at times dark and brooding, double talk is also hilarious, and expertly told with a fistful of hardy writing that is sleek, precise and altogether sexy.”
“double talk is more than a simple he-said/she-said account of a doomed marriage. It’s an exhilarating (and sometimes terrifying) look at the murky complexities that lie under the surface of all relationships.”
“In this often racy story which spares us little in the way of detail, Warner crafts a satisfying first novel – simultaneously funny and sad, and, at times, wrenching. Highly recommended.”
“Whether he’s dealing with the shadow of a mosquito or a journey through the shadow of the valley of death, Warner never skimps on the compassionate intelligence a writer owes his subjects. And then there’s the humour, great lashings of it.”
“Throughout the novel, Warner’s use of dark humour and aphoristic insights pair well with the universality [of] this story, and spares it from being maudlin, and also renders it distinct from similar stories.”
“double talk is a haunting and heart-bruising tale of searching out love only to shred it on the sharp edge of human failing. With an unmatched gift for description and exceptional insight, Warner writes about people in a way that makes you run to the mirror and take a long, hard look.”
“The book’s cover is a fitting harbinger of the doom to follow […] Warner does not disappoint.”
Near the end of Double Talk, Brian ‘Baby’ Power laments to himself,“Oh sweet mercy, was life ever just one thing at one time?”Since Double Talk is “a love story in reverse”by this point in the novel we’ve just spent 200 pages learning that love, like life, is never one thing at one time. Already author of three poetry collections, Double Talk is Patrick Warner’s first novel. Beginning with a domestic abuse incident, Warner alternates chapters from Violet to Brian’s memories of their relationship. The Newfoundland banter is spot on, as is the domestic tension that hangs like St. John’s fog. Warner ably reveals Violet’s character to explain how the relationship-ending abuse happened. But Brian, perhaps because like Warner moved from Ireland to the island only to find disappointment, is less disclosed
“I’m glad someone has finally written a story about the grimey late 80s in downtown St. John’s. The book is a brilliant examination of a doomed relationship.”
“The Newfoundland banter is spot on, as is the domestic tension that hangs like St. John’s fog.”
“It moves. It’s a page turner.”
“All in all an interesting, if not wholly satisfying, read.”
“While at times dark and brooding, double talk is also hilarious, and expertly told with a fistful of hardy writing that is sleek, precise and altogether sexy.”
“double talk is more than a simple he-said/she-said account of a doomed marriage. It’s an exhilarating (and sometimes terrifying) look at the murky complexities that lie under the surface of all relationships.”
“In this often racy story which spares us little in the way of detail, Warner crafts a satisfying first novel – simultaneously funny and sad, and, at times, wrenching. Highly recommended.”
“Whether he’s dealing with the shadow of a mosquito or a journey through the shadow of the valley of death, Warner never skimps on the compassionate intelligence a writer owes his subjects. And then there’s the humour, great lashings of it.”
“Throughout the novel, Warner’s use of dark humour and aphoristic insights pair well with the universality [of] this story, and spares it from being maudlin, and also renders it distinct from similar stories.”
“double talk is a haunting and heart-bruising tale of searching out love only to shred it on the sharp edge of human failing. With an unmatched gift for description and exceptional insight, Warner writes about people in a way that makes you run to the mirror and take a long, hard look.”
“The book’s cover is a fitting harbinger of the doom to follow […] Warner does not disappoint.”
Near the end of Double Talk, Brian ‘Baby’ Power laments to himself,“Oh sweet mercy, was life ever just one thing at one time?”Since Double Talk is “a love story in reverse”by this point in the novel we’ve just spent 200 pages learning that love, like life, is never one thing at one time. Already author of three poetry collections, Double Talk is Patrick Warner’s first novel. Beginning with a domestic abuse incident, Warner alternates chapters from Violet to Brian’s memories of their relationship. The Newfoundland banter is spot on, as is the domestic tension that hangs like St. John’s fog. Warner ably reveals Violet’s character to explain how the relationship-ending abuse happened. But Brian, perhaps because like Warner moved from Ireland to the island only to find disappointment, is less disclosed
“I’m glad someone has finally written a story about the grimey late 80s in downtown St. John’s. The book is a brilliant examination of a doomed relationship.”
“The Newfoundland banter is spot on, as is the domestic tension that hangs like St. John’s fog.”
There are no awards found for this book.
Details
Dimensions:
240 Pages
Published:
February 17, 2011
City of Publication:
St. John’s
Country of Publication:
CA
Publisher:
ISBN:
9781550813678
Featured In:
Language:
eng
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