Dreams of Speaking - Couverture souple

'We must talk, Alice Black, about this world of modern things.This buzzing world.'

Alice is entranced by the aesthetics of technology and, in every aeroplane flight, every Xerox machine, every neon sign, sees the poetry of modernity. Mr Sakamoto, a survivor of the atomic bomb, is an expert on Alexander Graham Bell. The pair forge an unlikely friendship as Mr Sakamoto regales Alice with stories of twentieth-century invention. His own knowledge begins to inform her writing, and these two solitary beings become a mutual support for each other a long way from home.

This novel from Man Booker longlisted author Gail Jones is distinguished by its honesty and intelligence. From the boundlessness of space walking to the frustrating constrictions of one person's daily existence, Dreams of Speaking paints with grace and skill the experience of needing to belong despite wanting to be alone.

Far away from home and her beloved but distant sister, Norah, Alice meets an old Japanese man on a train journey. Together they form an unlikely friendship at a crucial point in Alice's life where she is reflecting upon her family and her past, and disentangling herself from an old love affair.

Alice is fascinated by the poetry of technology, and Mr Sakomoto, a survivor of the atomic bomb, entrances her with his amazing stories of twentieth-century inventions, including Alexander Graham Bell and the mysteries of the telephone. Drawn together by their shared enthusiasms, these two solitary beings slowly come to rely on one another.

In Dreams of Speaking, prize-winning author Gail Jones paints with grace and skill the experience of needing to belong despite wanting to be alone.