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Title details for The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon - Available

The Confusion of Languages

by Siobhan Fallon
Jorjeana Marie
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A searing debut novel from the award-winning author of You Know When the Men are Gone, about jealousy, the unpredictable path of friendship, and the secrets kept in marriage, all set within the U.S. expat community of the Middle East during the rise of the Arab Spring.
Both Cassie Hugo and Margaret Brickshaw dutifully followed their soldier husbands to the U.S. embassy in Jordan, but that’s about all the women have in common. After two years, Cassie’s become an expert on the rules, but newly arrived Margaret sees only her chance to explore. So when a fender-bender sends Margaret to the local police station, Cassie reluctantly agrees to watch Margaret’s toddler son. But as the hours pass, Cassie’s boredom and frustration turn to fear: Why isn’t Margaret answering her phone, and why is it taking so long to sort out a routine accident? Snooping around Margaret’s apartment, Cassie begins to question not only her friend’s whereabouts but also her own role in Margaret’s disappearance.
 
With achingly honest prose and riveting characters, The Confusion of Languages plunges readers into a shattering collision between two women and two worlds, affirming Siobhan Fallon as a powerful voice in American fiction and a storyteller not to be missed.
“A gripping, cleverly plotted novel with surprising bite.”—Phil Klay
“Mesmerizing and devastating....Two military wives must explore a modern-day, cultural labyrinth in this insatiable read.”—Sarah McCoy

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 27, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781524775803
      • File size: 298462 KB
      • Duration: 10:21:47

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      February 15, 2018

      After introducing a stupendous community of left-behind stateside military wives in her debut collection, You Know When the Men Are Gone, Fallon presents in her first novel two women who have accompanied their U.S. Army husbands to Jordan. Shared circumstances ease Cassie and Margaret into a tenuous friendship. Cassie's been based in Jordan for two years, having carefully adjusted to the explicit rules of being an American in a volatile foreign country. Her marriage is faltering, further frayed by her childlessness. Asked to guide newly arrived Margaret's expat immersion, Cassie's initial reluctance dissipates, even as she envies Margaret's new marriage and toddler son. Naively free-spirited, Margaret seeks adventure where she should exercise caution. A minor traffic accident sends Margaret to the police station, leaving her son in Cassie's care. Free to roam the apartment, Cassie finds Margaret's diary and begins to read; when Margaret doesn't return, her written secrets may be the only means of finding her. As individual readers, Lauren Fortgang (Cassie) and Jorjeana Marie (Margaret) are equally convincing, but their voices are often indistinguishable--frustratingly ironic as their characters are so varied. VERDICT Such careless production choices yield disappointing results, which may send readers to the printed page.--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

      Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Dual narrators Jorjeana Marie and Lauren Fortgang immerse listeners in the escalating tensions between expat wives Cassie and Margaret, who are both married to servicemen serving abroad. Thrown together as strangers, they report a car accident in Jordan, and nothing goes as they expect. Marie and Fortgang convey the stress of being far from home, where everything is unfamiliar. Listeners with similar life experiences will relate to the competitive, backbiting atmosphere created when people are dislocated from their creature comforts. The pair of narrators give us a range of emotional ups and downs as Cassie and Margaret experience cultural frustrations and thwarted ambitions. Marie and Fortgang play well against each other in building suspense as secrets are revealed that threaten the characters' tenuous new lives. M.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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