Talk

Publishers Weekly

Fans of Koja's (The Blue Mirror) previous novels may be a bit disappointed with this tale of two high school students sharing the lead in a play called Talk. The book unfolds through their alternating points of view, with scenes from the play sprinkled in throughout. Kit Webster, who has never acted before, auditions on a dare from his best friend, Carma, and gets cast as Reed, the male lead. Reed interrogates Lola, a resistance fighter, played by seasoned thespian Lindsay Walsh. Lindsay begins to develop feelings for Kit, much to the dismay of her hulking ex-boyfriend, Blake Tudor. In the first chapter, readers learn that Kit is gay (a picture of Pablo Roy, "my secret love," hangs in his room). The most interesting aspect of the novel-Kit's struggle to approach Pablo and "come out" (though he has confided in Carma)-gets interrupted by Lindsay's narcissistic diatribes, as well as by scenes from the play, involving unorthodox strategies for questioning so-called "terrorists." The play's theme may be topical, but the book itself does not delve into the issues deeply enough for readers to get a handle on them. Subplots about Blake seeking revenge and the parents' roles in the controversy surrounding the play's themes further scatter the book's focus. In the end, readers get a glimpse of a variety of issues and characters, but never get the chance to examine them up close. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT - Amanda MacGregor

Accepting a dare from his best friend Carma, Kit tries out for the school play. To his surprise, he lands the lead role in Talk. Though it's his first play, Kit considers himself a seasoned actor, having spent his whole life acting straight. When he auditions for the play, Kit hopes it will help him lose himself for a while and allow him to be someone else. Kit's skill as an actor gains him the attentions of Lindsay, the school's drama queen and female lead in the play. She sets her sights on Kit, who is oblivious to her intentions. Lindsay's ex-boyfriend seeks revenge on Kit, and outs Kit in a hateful and cruel way. Though Kit went into the play hoping to be able to lose himself in his role, he finds that now he can finally, truly be who he is. This slim volume packs a lot into its pages. In addition to all of the personal drama that unfolds, the play is deemed too controversial for school performance. Free speech and censorship are addressed, but they seem like afterthoughts and do nothing to propel the story forward. Kit is a likeable, sympathetic character, but most of the other characters come across as one-dimensional. Lindsay initially is mean and manipulative, and unfortunately doesn't grow throughout the story, proving herself to be just as shallow and awful as she seems. Kit's struggle to come out and to accept himself is gracefully handled, but the story isn't nuanced enough to stand out. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Closeted high schooler Kit Webster hopes to take a vacation from reality by accepting one of the leads in a school play called Talk. Opposite Kit is popular drama queen Lindsay Walsh, who falls for him while they're onstage and dumps her meathead boyfriend. He blames Kit and homophobic epithets ensue. At the same time, the town turns upside down over the play's strong content, and soon nearly everyone is in an uproar. Told in Kit's and Lindsay's alternating voices, and with portions of the script inserted throughout, this novel breaks no new ground literarily or thematically. Readers will find the uncertain chemistry between the protagonists intriguing, but the vague controversy surrounding the play and free-speech rallies quickly become didactic and tiresome. Koja's stream-of-conscious style enhances the story's sense of realism, but the characterizations seem flat and polarized compared to other straight/gay romantic muddles like Alex Sanchez's So Hard to Say (2004) or Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love (1999, both S & S). Still, reluctant readers may be tempted enough by the volume's slim size and simplistic themes to see it through to the end.-Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Although Kit, who surprises everyone by getting the lead in the school play, Talk, has never been on stage before, he knows deep in his gut that he can act. After all he's been successfully impersonating a heterosexual for years. Kit's fellow star is the school's beautiful, talented and solipsistic queen bee, Lindsey, a multifaceted creation whose contemptuous, smoldering fury threatens to take over the story. As the play-concerning the hot-potato issue of political interrogation and the notion of truth-begins to take shape, Lindsey becomes romantically interested in the closeted Kit. The plot is further complicated when a group of variously motivated parents try to shut the play down, causing a ripple effect of confrontation and betrayal, making Kit's largely unambiguous joy at the end of the story hard to buy. What Koja, who deftly handles several points of view and neatly juxtaposes scenes from the play with the narrative, does well is to let the reader clearly see her characters' imperfections, while never losing sight of their essential humanity. (Fiction. 12+)