NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS

by Patricia Lockwood

I picked up No One Is Talking About This because it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize this year – a sure sign of a great book. Patricia Lockwood, who recently turned 40, won the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2022, given to young writers for literary excellence. She has previously published two volumes of poetry and a memoir. No One Is Talking About This is her first novel. To be honest, I found the first half of the book challenging. We are introduced to the protagonist through her social media posts, some profane, many inane and a few poetic and deep. When bundled together and taken as a whole, however, I believe these social media posts succeed in portraying the zeitgeist of social media communication in our time.

Ultimately, what makes the first half of the book so powerful, however, is the second half of the book. The protagonist gets a phone call from her mother to come home to Ohio (a place she fled with horror as soon as she was old enough) because something has gone terribly wrong with her sister’s pregnancy. She rushes to her sister’s side and witnesses the birth of her niece who is born with severe medical problems and is not expected to live more than a few hours. A few days become six months, and we share her journey as she experiences the deep bonds of love and community formed by her physical presence. Lockwood's writing is masterful in these scenes between sister and sister and aunt and niece. Something cracks open in her, and in us, through the experience.

No One Is Talking About This is a tremendously powerful book. That Lockwood is also a poet is apparent on every page. But beyond that, she is an astute observer of human behavior and is able to put into words feelings that aren’t always easily expressed. So, stick it out through the first half of the book; by the end, you'll love it. (Liz)