The Secret Talker: A Novel
- Downloads：2496
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-12 08:35:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Geling Yan
- ISBN：B0839M1XS2
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Elaine
，
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Secret Talker。Based on the blurb， I expected the narrative to be more suspenseful， dramatic， fast paced but instead， this was a slightly creepy story about a woman named Hongmei and the emails she's exchanging with a stranger， who knows more about her than she is comfortable with。Yet， this person does not know everything about Hongmei， the dutiful Asian wife to Glen， a college professor， and Hongmei needs to confront the scars of her past before her m Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Secret Talker。Based on the blurb， I expected the narrative to be more suspenseful， dramatic， fast paced but instead， this was a slightly creepy story about a woman named Hongmei and the emails she's exchanging with a stranger， who knows more about her than she is comfortable with。Yet， this person does not know everything about Hongmei， the dutiful Asian wife to Glen， a college professor， and Hongmei needs to confront the scars of her past before her marriage and life can move on。There were parts I liked:The author makes some insightful comments about marriage， the sacrifices immigrants are forced to make， namely women （of course）， and the few choices available to women seeking a better life。I wouldn't call this a crime drama; there's little urgency and more a slow peeling back of the onion layers that Hongmei has grown to protect herself。I guessed the secret talker's identity early on and the revelation at the end felt anti-climatic， mostly because there was insufficient exposition （or maybe the translation didn't do it justice）。This was a quick read， but I found myself wanting more。 I didn't dislike Hongmei but I still didn't know much about her and I was curious about her childhood， how she survived and how her trauma shaped the woman she is now。If this had just been about Hongmei， the story might have held my interest longer。What I didn't like:I found Hongmei's friend irritating and an unnecessary detail that pulled me out of the narrative。 The translation wasn't bad; some phrases sounded awkward but I got the gist。 The tone and style of writing， which may be due to the translation， felt stiff， but that might also just be the author's trademark。I really wanted to like this more。 。。。more
Karen
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I just couldn’t find a piece of me in this book！ It is， in fact， an unusual story line， but I found it a little hard to find my way with no fascinating characters！
Hillary
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My Kindle First selection for April。 I enjoy reading books about China and the Chinese， partly because I've been teaching Chinese students for over ten years now。 That's why I chose this one。Meh。 I kept it up and finished it because it's short and not a hardship to read。 Still， some of it felt repetitive。 Some of it was confusing: Who was talking？ Who was Hongmai talking about？ And I pretty much solved the mystery about half-way through。 （view spoiler）[ And what's up with Glen misspelling "disap My Kindle First selection for April。 I enjoy reading books about China and the Chinese， partly because I've been teaching Chinese students for over ten years now。 That's why I chose this one。Meh。 I kept it up and finished it because it's short and not a hardship to read。 Still， some of it felt repetitive。 Some of it was confusing: Who was talking？ Who was Hongmai talking about？ And I pretty much solved the mystery about half-way through。 （view spoiler）[ And what's up with Glen misspelling "disappointed" so many times？ He's a professor， a literature professor， if I'm not mistaken。 Someone with a dyslexia or something similar would misspell many words， not just one。 And doesn't spell-check exist？ That might have been intended as a red herring， but truly， it was awkward。 （hide spoiler）]Short as this book was， it could probably have been pared down even more， leaving out a good bit of the descriptions and heightening the tension。 。。。more
Kaja
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I actually sort of loved this short little book。 At first it was weird， and then I couldn’t put it down。 Really enjoyed it！
Sharples
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This is a weird book。 It’s about an online stalker and an Asian woman supposedly bored with her older husband who accepts his flirtations。 But his flirtations are off as well。 Not at all what size was expecting。
Laurie
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Hmmm。。。Reading this was hard work。 Very predictable ending but also not fully wrapped up。 It felt like an unfinished draft of what might become a good book。
Karen
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A Very Fine NovelI appreciate Chinese literature and culture。 The indirect， third person voice， which the protagonist and her literature professor husband discuss in "The Secret Talker" makes sense to me。 The original publication of this novel in Chinese was in 2004， so the historical context and use of the internet by the characters also make good sense。 The author， even in this English translation， has an elegant writing style。 If you appreciate or are curious about Chinese literature this is A Very Fine NovelI appreciate Chinese literature and culture。 The indirect， third person voice， which the protagonist and her literature professor husband discuss in "The Secret Talker" makes sense to me。 The original publication of this novel in Chinese was in 2004， so the historical context and use of the internet by the characters also make good sense。 The author， even in this English translation， has an elegant writing style。 If you appreciate or are curious about Chinese literature this is a good book to include in your reading。 If you are looking for an American thriller and a direct story-telling genre， you will not find that here and should not expect to。 I would like to read more books by this prolific writer。 I recommend this novel to those interested in reading global and comparative literature。 I enjoyed reading this book and completed it in one sitting。 。。。more
Andreea
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I really struggled with this book a lot。 I felt like it was intended to be a deep psychological thriller but the writing struck me as flat and the character development spotty。 Not even the somewhat-surprising end redeemed it for me。
Christine D。 Mondo
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YawnI don't like books that have little or no dialogue'II read this quickly just to finish it II don't like to read books with little or no dialogueo YawnI don't like books that have little or no dialogue'II read this quickly just to finish it II don't like to read books with little or no dialogueo 。。。more
M。
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Secrets Can Lead to New BeginningsI thoroughly enjoyed reading this。The choice of using the third person voice for the main characters， Hongmei， Glen and the secret talker， was a good one。 Although this book is about secrets， family， marriage and the past， it's not complicated。 For this reason， I was able to read it effortlessly and with consistent interest and intrigue。 Secrets Can Lead to New BeginningsI thoroughly enjoyed reading this。The choice of using the third person voice for the main characters， Hongmei， Glen and the secret talker， was a good one。 Although this book is about secrets， family， marriage and the past， it's not complicated。 For this reason， I was able to read it effortlessly and with consistent interest and intrigue。 。。。more
Betty
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Knowing that the main character came from China and was living in an area of California that I am very familiar with， I was hoping for a historical novel of some type。 But it is more of a voyeuristic journey of this character's online fantasies。 It changes direction according to her whims， and I didn't feel like I had any idea of who she really was any more than I would trust knowing the people I might hook up with if I swiped right on Tinder。 She is supposed to be a very well-educated young wom Knowing that the main character came from China and was living in an area of California that I am very familiar with， I was hoping for a historical novel of some type。 But it is more of a voyeuristic journey of this character's online fantasies。 It changes direction according to her whims， and I didn't feel like I had any idea of who she really was any more than I would trust knowing the people I might hook up with if I swiped right on Tinder。 She is supposed to be a very well-educated young woman but her education doesn't seem to have added any maturity or sense of who she really is。 I would recommend it to people who also spend a lot of time communicating with strangers on the internet。 。。。more
Connie Hess
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Maybe if I had been able to get past 50% of the book， it may have rated three stars？An email relationship with a stranger， sharing history and reflecting on her life， while her doting husband works in the next room。Not my cup of tea。
Chandra Claypool （WhereTheReaderGrows）
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I absolutely love the premise of this story。 Hongmei is bored and unhappy in her marriage to Glen， her American husband who provides for her but somehow she feels never SEES her。 Then a mysterious e-mail comes her way and now she gets involved and eventually obsessed about the person obsessing about her。 Got that？I really wanted to like this story。。。 I really did。 I even put it down at 66% through and while I usually never pick up books I put down， I realized this was a novella and I may as well I absolutely love the premise of this story。 Hongmei is bored and unhappy in her marriage to Glen， her American husband who provides for her but somehow she feels never SEES her。 Then a mysterious e-mail comes her way and now she gets involved and eventually obsessed about the person obsessing about her。 Got that？I really wanted to like this story。。。 I really did。 I even put it down at 66% through and while I usually never pick up books I put down， I realized this was a novella and I may as well finish 。。。 plus my interest was piqued to see where Hongmei's journey would take her。 Here are some issues I had: this is marketed as a thriller， but the thriller aspect is hard to really find here。 Sure we have an anonymous person stalking Hongmei but as she continues to engage this person and basically turn the tables， the lack of fear and only sleightened increase of paranoia does not lend to that thriller atmosphere。 However， I do find that the thriller aspect in most translated books tend to be more subtle and not in your face， which can lend a very tense atmosphere。。。 but alas， that's not found here either。 I also felt like this story was a bit incomplete。。。 the entirety of setting up to the final *explanation* felt lacking。What I did like is that in learning more and more of Hongmei as she opens up to her "admirer"， we get a pretty compelling character。 While I didn't agree with some of her actions， I could understand needing that excitement in her life。 The cultural aspect of American and Chinese clashing a bit playing into her dissatisfaction is relatable and in learning of her past experiences lends to why she is acting the way she is now。 Overall I feel like this could've been fleshed out a bit more。 Don't go into this expecting the standard thrilling thrills you'd expect from a thriller。。。 you won't find it。 But you will find an intricate story of Hongmei， who is worth getting to know。 。。。more
Melissa Schmalenberger
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It was a nice quick read。 Focus on marriage and relationships and falling out of love。 It had a little twist at the end that I didn’t see which I appreciated。
Brittany
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Short， easy read。 My April Prime book。 It was fine， not my usual type of book。 I figured out the secret talker pretty early on。
Michelle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A bit odd cuz translated but interesting
Mai
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This was very odd。 Well written， but really not my cup of tea。
Bob Miller
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I was a little disppointed （pun intended， you'll see）。 It felt like a chapter was missing， or maybe I fell asleep reading that chapter。 The ending was good， even if telegraphed a bit early。 I was a little disppointed （pun intended， you'll see）。 It felt like a chapter was missing， or maybe I fell asleep reading that chapter。 The ending was good， even if telegraphed a bit early。 。。。more
Kate Benedict
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Beautiful use of languageIt has been a while since I've read a book which such a succinct story told with such a luxurious use of language。 Never too sentimental yet evoking emotion like looking at a beautiful piece of art。 This was a uncomplicated tale that somehow covers the myriad complications of a woman's mind and heart。 An absolute pleasure to read。 Beautiful use of languageIt has been a while since I've read a book which such a succinct story told with such a luxurious use of language。 Never too sentimental yet evoking emotion like looking at a beautiful piece of art。 This was a uncomplicated tale that somehow covers the myriad complications of a woman's mind and heart。 An absolute pleasure to read。 。。。more
Arledda
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The Secret Talker （published May 4， 2021） is the English translation of acclaimed author and screenwriter Geling Yan’s novel originally published in Chinese in 2004。 This novel focuses on Hongmei， a Chinese woman living in a college town in California with her husband， Glen。 When an unknown person begins stalking and emailing Hongmei it causes her to reflect on her own identity， culture， past relationships and relationship with Glen。 Hongmei knows that this strange new relationship could mean th The Secret Talker （published May 4， 2021） is the English translation of acclaimed author and screenwriter Geling Yan’s novel originally published in Chinese in 2004。 This novel focuses on Hongmei， a Chinese woman living in a college town in California with her husband， Glen。 When an unknown person begins stalking and emailing Hongmei it causes her to reflect on her own identity， culture， past relationships and relationship with Glen。 Hongmei knows that this strange new relationship could mean the end of her marriage but she can’t seem to help herself。 I was really excited for this one but it wasn’t quite what I expected。 The description for The Secret Talker makes it seem as though it will be a very suspenseful domestic thriller but it seems more like a contemporary fiction book with an undercurrent of mystery。 This was a shorter novel that moved along at a brisk pace and was able to capture a really unique character and story but I do believe it felt like a bit of the story’s charm and “thriller” status was lost in translation。I received an advanced reading copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
imhere4beer
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Lovely prose with a bit of mysteryA Chinese military translator is allowed to take English classes at University， and becomes enamoured with one of her American professors。 Eventually they marry and move to the US， causing quite a scandal and sowing dissatisfaction in the relationship for reasons that unfold throughout the story。 At the start of the novel， the woman starts receiving insightful and seductive emails that cause her to examine this dissatisfaction。 If you're interested in a mystery Lovely prose with a bit of mysteryA Chinese military translator is allowed to take English classes at University， and becomes enamoured with one of her American professors。 Eventually they marry and move to the US， causing quite a scandal and sowing dissatisfaction in the relationship for reasons that unfold throughout the story。 At the start of the novel， the woman starts receiving insightful and seductive emails that cause her to examine this dissatisfaction。 If you're interested in a mystery， perhaps skip this one as the "secret" seemed quite obvious from early on， in my opinion。 This becomes only a minor annoyance as the story unfolds， because the novel is so beautifully written （and props to the interpreter） that the secret becomes a secondary concern。 There is also a second， more interesting， subplot that unfolds that is quite a bit more intriguing than the primary question revolving around the Secret Talker。 。。。more
Jamie Jack
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Lost in Translation， Perhaps？This book was billed as part literary fiction and part psychological thriller on the First Reads page as well as at a favorite book review site from which I originally downloaded this book。 To me， this book is not a psychological thriller at all。 If the part about the cyber-stalker is supposed to be the thriller aspect， it completely fails because the heroine is so accepting of her stalker， seemingly completely unafraid， and even goes so far as to share secrets with Lost in Translation， Perhaps？This book was billed as part literary fiction and part psychological thriller on the First Reads page as well as at a favorite book review site from which I originally downloaded this book。 To me， this book is not a psychological thriller at all。 If the part about the cyber-stalker is supposed to be the thriller aspect， it completely fails because the heroine is so accepting of her stalker， seemingly completely unafraid， and even goes so far as to share secrets with him It's hard to build up much stalking thriller drama when the “victim” acts in such a way。 The author summarized and told us about the heroine and stalker’s emails。 I think it would have been much more impactful to actually read them， at least some （if not all）。 The heroine describes the stalker’s emails early on as sounding like a blend of Neil Gaiman and Emily Bronte。 That's hard for me to imagine， so I would have liked to have read it myself！ Frankly， this book has a fair amount of telling rather than showing。 In fact， it feels more like the author’s detailed outline rather than a true novel itself。 The author had an interesting premise， but its promise did not feel fulfilled to me。 The book needed more fleshing out， more showing。 It has a few surprises along the way， but I found the end disappointing and somewhat confusing。 I feel like I have more questions than answers after completing the book。 But it was so poorly done that I don't think I actually care enough to have them answered。I received a free copy of this book， but that did not affect my review。My book blog: https://www。readingfanaticreviews。com 。。。more
Lauren
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Note: I received this book through Amazon First Reads。
Kimberly
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Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the unedited EARCThe book， “The Secret Talker”， by Geling Yan， follows Hongmei， a Chinese woman married to an American man named Glen。 They reside is California in a University town。 Hongmei meets an interesting person on line and that's the main chunk of the action。 It's hard to say more， without revealing the story！ I feel like this book could have been a 5 instead of a 3 if it were a bit longer and more detailed。 I loved the twists and turns， the back Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the unedited EARCThe book， “The Secret Talker”， by Geling Yan， follows Hongmei， a Chinese woman married to an American man named Glen。 They reside is California in a University town。 Hongmei meets an interesting person on line and that's the main chunk of the action。 It's hard to say more， without revealing the story！ I feel like this book could have been a 5 instead of a 3 if it were a bit longer and more detailed。 I loved the twists and turns， the background story and the unraveling of the whole plot。 I would have love to have more "detective work" that her friend did discussed。 The whole plot was great though。 I enjoyed this read。 Thanks 。。。more
Jim
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The Secret Talker is a recently translated novel from the prolific and acclaimed Chinese author and screenwriter， Geling Yan。 Originally published in 2004， The Secret Talker explores the identity of a Chinese woman who has relocated to the Bay Area with her American husband to pursue a PhD， with the war on terrorism as it’s backdrop。 Hongmei’s struggle with her life in China during the Cultural Revolution and the woman she has become in America is the major undercurrent of the story， but the mai The Secret Talker is a recently translated novel from the prolific and acclaimed Chinese author and screenwriter， Geling Yan。 Originally published in 2004， The Secret Talker explores the identity of a Chinese woman who has relocated to the Bay Area with her American husband to pursue a PhD， with the war on terrorism as it’s backdrop。 Hongmei’s struggle with her life in China during the Cultural Revolution and the woman she has become in America is the major undercurrent of the story， but the main conflict comes in the form of an individual who has been sending Hongmei intrusive e-mails with details of her life in America。 This “secret talker” infatuates Hongmei and makes her reconsider her marriage and her cultural identity。The Secret Talker is a novella， and I found myself expectantly reading it as more details are uncovered about Hongmei’s history in China and more details are uncovered about her stalker。 The translation is a bit stilted， but altogether compelling enough to move the story along at a brisk pace。 While the book synopsis may lead a reader to believe they’re reading a traditional thriller， the book is more interested in Hongmei’s interior life than it is with uncovering her stalker’s identity。 Readers expecting a true nail-biter of a thriller should set their expectations appropriately。Thanks to HarperVia and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to leave this review。 。。。more
Tai
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Alright。 this wasn't at all like the summary。 It constantly mentioned how this was thrilling and scary and other buzzwords in that vain。 This was barely even entertaining。 I can see what the author wanted to do but it wasn't done well at all。 The writing is boring and weird。 The way the book is formatted is also weird。 There is no flow to be seen。 It feels choppy。 The plot is both unrealistic and bland。 There needed to be more of a set up instead of just getting thrown into an email immediately。 Alright。 this wasn't at all like the summary。 It constantly mentioned how this was thrilling and scary and other buzzwords in that vain。 This was barely even entertaining。 I can see what the author wanted to do but it wasn't done well at all。 The writing is boring and weird。 The way the book is formatted is also weird。 There is no flow to be seen。 It feels choppy。 The plot is both unrealistic and bland。 There needed to be more of a set up instead of just getting thrown into an email immediately。 The "reveal" wasn't great either。 I honestly can't tell why this was written or what the point was。 The main character was unlikeable and I can't tell if that was intentional。 I also can't tell if there was supposed to be a redemption arc at the end。 I'm going to blame bad translation for some of the choppy writing but that doesn't make the boring go away。 I'm very disappointed this wasn't something I enjoyed。 。。。more
Celeste Miller
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This was a very fast read， but it is not a thriller like the blurb says it is。 It's a strange， creepy， emotional story about a woman who has an email relationship with someone who seems to know a lot about her and be stalking her。 This put me off at first but as I continued I realized that a lot of things weren't as they originally seemed。 I actually guessed who the secret talker was pretty early on， but I definitely didn't guess the other twists that were revealed on the last few pages。 Very st This was a very fast read， but it is not a thriller like the blurb says it is。 It's a strange， creepy， emotional story about a woman who has an email relationship with someone who seems to know a lot about her and be stalking her。 This put me off at first but as I continued I realized that a lot of things weren't as they originally seemed。 I actually guessed who the secret talker was pretty early on， but I definitely didn't guess the other twists that were revealed on the last few pages。 Very strange book and also pretty sad to be honest。 Hongmei reveals a lot about her past and her emotional repression during the book。 。。。more
Liz
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Please visit my book blog https://cavebookreviews。blogspot。com/。I loved reading the debut novel The Secret Talker by Geling Yan。 Hongmei met her husband， Glen， in China， and after a twist of events， she married him and now lives in northern California， where Glen teaches。 Hongmei is working on her graduate studies， and the couple leads a quiet life until Hongmei gets an email from a stranger。Hongmei writes back， and the short novel's narrative is created， a dialogue with an unknown person。 Hongm Please visit my book blog https://cavebookreviews。blogspot。com/。I loved reading the debut novel The Secret Talker by Geling Yan。 Hongmei met her husband， Glen， in China， and after a twist of events， she married him and now lives in northern California， where Glen teaches。 Hongmei is working on her graduate studies， and the couple leads a quiet life until Hongmei gets an email from a stranger。Hongmei writes back， and the short novel's narrative is created， a dialogue with an unknown person。 Hongmei's secret talker knows a bit too much about her。 It appears that she/he is staking Hongmei。 There is always a report about what she is wearing， where she goes， and how she looks each time。 Hongmei becomes desperate to find out who this person is and even tries to snare him by having her best friend start a conversation with him。The book is a quick and exciting read。 In just a short time， the author manages to relate much of her life history， leading to a further understanding of her character。 Of course， we all want to know who the stranger is。 We want a meeting， and reading to the end is worth the time spent with this new book。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC。 。。。more
Cat
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This book has an intriguing plot: a young Chinese woman， Hongmei， living in America begins receiving emails from a stranger who seems to intimately know her every move。 Against her better judgment， Hongmei begins a long and tortured correspondence with this person， revealing more about herself than she’s honestly ever revealed to anyone。 She has had a troubled life: sexual abuse as a child， arrest， and torture when suspected of being a spy， and finally moving to the United States with the help o This book has an intriguing plot: a young Chinese woman， Hongmei， living in America begins receiving emails from a stranger who seems to intimately know her every move。 Against her better judgment， Hongmei begins a long and tortured correspondence with this person， revealing more about herself than she’s honestly ever revealed to anyone。 She has had a troubled life: sexual abuse as a child， arrest， and torture when suspected of being a spy， and finally moving to the United States with the help of her school professor and now husband， Glen。I thoroughly enjoyed the tenseness of the exchanges in the emails， the rabbit hole that Hongmei can’t seem to avoid， and the history of her youth in a strict regime。 The last few pages seemed a bit scattered， but I’m hoping after I’ve given it more consideration， the intent of the author will become more clear to me。 Overall， this was a captivating and enjoyable read。Sincere thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 The publishing date is May 4， 2021。 。。。more
Alison Norris
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