james7634's review against another edition
3.5
Hongme moved from China to Mary and live with her American professor in northern California. She is an ambitious woman who escaped a small village in order to get to a Chinese University and from there she had an affair with her professor, and they later married.
She is a woman who can acknowledge that she needs Nunes and struggles with infidelity. So when a stocker starts, riding her instead of being a frayed, she becomes emotionally invested, and in twined with this email stocker. She distances herself from her husband and the stock her and her reveal secrets about their lives.
This stalker ends up being her husband. And he is giving her the sense of newness in a relationship that she is seeking. He was innocently accused of sexually assaulting, his daughter and faked his death but he and his daughter reconnected.
And they know about the wife
So this story is about how people conceal things from there close loved ones, but then get what they need from their loved ones if there’s a disconnect to the truth
It was OK
She is a woman who can acknowledge that she needs Nunes and struggles with infidelity. So when a stocker starts, riding her instead of being a frayed, she becomes emotionally invested, and in twined with this email stocker. She distances herself from her husband and the stock her and her reveal secrets about their lives.
This stalker ends up being her husband. And he is giving her the sense of newness in a relationship that she is seeking. He was innocently accused of sexually assaulting, his daughter and faked his death but he and his daughter reconnected.
And they know about the wife
So this story is about how people conceal things from there close loved ones, but then get what they need from their loved ones if there’s a disconnect to the truth
It was OK
sanmeow's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the secret talker is a story that follows hongmei, a woman living an uneventful life with her husband. she suddenly starts getting strange emails from a stalker who seems to know everything about her daily life. to protect herself, hongmei starts trying to find out the secrets of her stalker.
i think hongmei is a great lead for this specific story. she's pretty quiet and doesn't draw attention to herself throughout her everyday life. so it is definitely interesting to see how someone who isn't used to the spotlight (of any kind) reacts when faced with a stalker. hongmei is forced to dive deeper into her own past and she gets to know herself better in a bizarre way.
she also forms a peculiar sort of relationship with her stalker - she starts telling them more about herself because it feels freeing to do it when you're emailing someone like that. what hongmei does with her stalker is kind of the opposite of her life with her husband so it's understandable that she struggles with her identity. she's wondering whether she wants things to change and be more exciting or not, and that can be terrifying for sure.
the scary part of this novel isn't as much the stalker as it is hongmei's internal struggle. that's why i think the summary of this book as you can see on many websites can be misleading - it's not a typical stalker 'game of cat and mouse' thriller.
i still enjoyed it, though i think the pacing could've been way better. it did get a little repetitive at times. the writing style was quite good, nothing impressive, but i liked it.
i think hongmei is a great lead for this specific story. she's pretty quiet and doesn't draw attention to herself throughout her everyday life. so it is definitely interesting to see how someone who isn't used to the spotlight (of any kind) reacts when faced with a stalker. hongmei is forced to dive deeper into her own past and she gets to know herself better in a bizarre way.
she also forms a peculiar sort of relationship with her stalker - she starts telling them more about herself because it feels freeing to do it when you're emailing someone like that. what hongmei does with her stalker is kind of the opposite of her life with her husband so it's understandable that she struggles with her identity. she's wondering whether she wants things to change and be more exciting or not, and that can be terrifying for sure.
the scary part of this novel isn't as much the stalker as it is hongmei's internal struggle. that's why i think the summary of this book as you can see on many websites can be misleading - it's not a typical stalker 'game of cat and mouse' thriller.
i still enjoyed it, though i think the pacing could've been way better. it did get a little repetitive at times. the writing style was quite good, nothing impressive, but i liked it.
echokitsune's review against another edition
4.0
This book was riveting! I began and finished it in one day. Hongmei is a Chinese immigrant who is settled into her marriage with her college professor husband. She is a professional student, currently working her way through her PhD, when one day she receives an email from a stranger.
This person seems to know her deepest secrets as well as her daily routine. At first, Hongmei is unnerved and gives "The Secret Talker" rebuttals, but before long she is sucked into the intrigue, passion, and excitement of the illicit and often passionate exchange between this faceless stranger.
Hongmei grows to trust this person and feels like they know one another on a deeper level than even her husband could know her. She finds herself confessing dark secrets from her past as well as thoughts she hadn't even voiced aloud to herself.
This novel explores the common human theme of yearning. Even the most happily married of people often think about alternate paths, or lovers, or possibilities. This novel explores one woman's interpersonal struggles while also shining a light on the idea of happy relationships. This novel was unnerving enough at times to feel like a thriller, but I think at its heart it is a sociological analysis of what it means to be satisfied.
This person seems to know her deepest secrets as well as her daily routine. At first, Hongmei is unnerved and gives "The Secret Talker" rebuttals, but before long she is sucked into the intrigue, passion, and excitement of the illicit and often passionate exchange between this faceless stranger.
Hongmei grows to trust this person and feels like they know one another on a deeper level than even her husband could know her. She finds herself confessing dark secrets from her past as well as thoughts she hadn't even voiced aloud to herself.
This novel explores the common human theme of yearning. Even the most happily married of people often think about alternate paths, or lovers, or possibilities. This novel explores one woman's interpersonal struggles while also shining a light on the idea of happy relationships. This novel was unnerving enough at times to feel like a thriller, but I think at its heart it is a sociological analysis of what it means to be satisfied.
sleepygirlreads's review against another edition
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
bookwrm526's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
slhandy45's review against another edition
3.0
Intriguing if a bit clunky (at least in translation) and overly contrived in the end. And where is there a university within 2 hours of San Francisco with a 16-story building let alone one with 100,000 students? OK, this is fiction, but still.
myliteraryera's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
mik0c's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ptitirodactyle's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5