Night Talk: A Novel - Softcover

Cox, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555971407 ISBN 13: 9781555971403

Publisher: Graywolf Press, 2014

Synopsis

"Cox puts a human face on the struggle for equality in this thoughtful, well-written exploration of race relations in the South."-The Raleigh News & Observer

At night, under the same roof, under the same moon, nothing divides the girls, Evie and Janey Louise. Talking in their beds, they discuss their strong mothers and their absent fathers, and they wonder about the paths their lives will take. Yet during the day, Evie is blind to their differences-that she is white and her best friend is black.

In Night Talk, Elizabeth Cox tells a moving story about two girls who, though they grew up in the same house, reflect the alternate realities of white and black society. They are influenced by both the massive social changes sweeping the country during the Civil Rights years, and by our extraordinary human capacities for fear and hate and love. But in the end, it is the world they share under cover of darkness, through their candid nighttime conversations, that proves to be the strongest force of all.

About this title

Review:

Sisterly love is not always simple and steadfast. Disturbing in its portrayal of tolerant blindness to race as part of the problem of racial hatred, Night Talk traces the friendship of two girls, one white and one black, as they grow up in the same environment but in different worlds. Janey's mother is the housemaid for Evie and her mother. Evie accepts Janey readily into her world and as her roommate, a secret that must be kept from the neighbors. Yet Janey begins to view Evie's acceptance of her as blind to the issues of society and race. The rift between them reaches a critical test when Janey, as an adult, is accused of murder.

From the Publisher:

Praise for Night Talk: "Wise and touching...about love in all shapes and shades and forms." --Jill McKorkle

"Elizabeth Cox never writes of a character whom she cannot literally inhabit. That beautiful property of her mind is visible in Night Talk." --Reynolds Price

"Cox puts a human face on the struggle for equality in this thoughtful, well-written exploration of race relations in the South." --Raleigh News and Observer

"Affecting, resonant...Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird." --Library Journal

"Cox...knows how friendships shift and change, grow cold and then rediscover warmth...An involving tale of two women's friendship in a world defined by race but illuminated by love." --Booklist

About this edition

• Publisher: Graywolf Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1555971407
• ISBN 13: 9781555971403
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280