The Bookstore --> Corey Mesler


TALKTALK: A Novel in Dialogue is the unusual novel of Corey Mesler. A $14 paperback, It's 208 pages, published by Livingston Press. The publisher has this to say about it:

Corey Mesler's novel is set completely in dialogue. And to steal the thunder from one of its blurbs, you're going to be surprised at "just how sexy a novel made out of dialogue can be." (Frederick Barthelme) You're also going to be surprised at how mesmerizing such a novel can be as you fill in descriptive detail even as you read/hear the central character Jim, hip and bright owner of a metropolitan bookstore, quipping with his customers, philosophizing with his wife and artist friend, instructing and learning from his children-and heating afternoon stew pots of audacious linguistic sexiness with his erstwhile, almost lover. In the end, all the talk amounts to much more than talk: it builds meaning. Aristotle may have defined us as "political," "featherless," and "bi-pedal"; Mesler defines us as TALK.

And check out this five-star review from an anonymous poster at Amazon:

For fans of contemporary fiction, this adventurous and charming novel is a must-read. Mesler tells this story of midlife meltdown entirely in dialogue, recording the conversations between the main character, Jim, and his wife, children, customers, friends, and would-be mistress. It's alternately funny and devastating, light and serious, but the dialogue is always dynamically rendered and the characters are always believable. Mesler writes with great empathy and authority on subjects as varied as pop culture, family life, sex, and the confusion of emotion and regret. I think we can expect great things from him in the future.

TALK: A Novel in Dialogue is available at Buy.com.