The Conversation (David Brooks, UQP)

I was eager to read The Conversation by David Brooks. The idea of the novel had me salivating long before I held the pages in my hand. Two strangers—an older man and younger woman—meet in a restaurant in Trieste on the coast of Italy and strike up a conversation about food, art, philosophy, culture and, most importantly, love. There would always be an erotic element in such a set-up. But the age difference complicates matters. It pushes consummation to the edge of possibility. It doesn’t rule it out but it leaves it dangling just out of reach. This enlivens the novel and keeps The Conversation on target. The book, at times, reads like a thriller. It reminded me most of Camus’ The Fall. Here though, we have two distinct voices and Brooks entwines the deeply personal with the theoretical, leading us ever closer to truths hidden within his two protagonists. This is a book for lovers of ideas, of good conversation, of impossible loves—and for those intellectuals who enjoy having heated arguments in cafes. Do intellectuals still have heated arguments in cafes about thought-provoking books? If they don’t then this book might just re-establish a very old tradition.

John Purcell aka the Booktopia Book Guru is the product strategy and social media manager at booktopia.com.au

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Category: Reviews